


Danganronpa Season 52: The Ultimate Foundation's Ultimate Retreat!

by ToxicPineapple



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: 52nd killing game, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Asexual Amami Rantaro, Canon Typical Violence, Fanganronpa, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Depression, Implied/Referenced Neglect, Implied/Referenced Suicidal Tendencies, OCs - Freeform, but not OC centric?, canon typical bullshit, canon typical death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-06
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2020-02-27 13:34:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 53,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18740089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToxicPineapple/pseuds/ToxicPineapple
Summary: Sponsored by Kuramoto Cosmetics and Team Danganronpa!---Rantaro Amami was the Ultimate Survivor in the season where Shuichi Saihara (and company) ended the killing game. He was the first dead, because the mastermind, Tsumugi Shirogane, thought that he might get in her way.But before the 53rd season, Rantaro participated in the 52nd. And for better or for worse, he survived. In the end, Rantaro lost his memories of the 52nd killing game and died without ever remembering what may have happened to him there. But the world did not forget. The world remembers the participants of the 52nd killing game.This is their story.---Irregular update schedule, currently sidelined due to the number of other projects I have going. I obviously update on occasion, though.





	1. Prologue [1]

**Author's Note:**

> I have a couple ultimate talents that may coincide with other Fanganronpas, even some popular ones. Most notably, Danganronpa Re:Birth. They're cool. The character designs and the amount of effort put into that AU overall are phenomenal. I didn't look at their work in creating these characters. I didn't even know about Re:Birth until I had already begun character designs; at which point I had a general idea of the characters and their roles in the game and it was too late to change things. I had a notebook where I wrote all the Ultimate talents I wanted to include in the earliest stages of drafting and the ideas I got for characters came from my own head or the ideas of the people I know and love. But Re:Birth is still really epic.
> 
> Shout-out to my poor IRL friends, and also the users mddnapstablook and my brother, birdn4t0r, for listening to me ramble about this story non-stop. We've got a long ways to go but I'm excited to see if anybody actually reads this, and to write it myself.
> 
> In the future I'll be putting notes at the end of every chapter so that I can talk about things that happened in the chapter, but I wanted to put the note about Re:Birth where everyone could see it upon entering the story.
> 
> That said, I hope you all enjoy!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rantaro wakes up, and meets Takako Miyake, Keiji Arakawa, and Kayoko Takashima.

I am surrounded by a thick, suffocating darkness.

 

Murky, black ink covers me entirely, hides my eyes and worms its way into my chest. It fills my lungs, and I lose the ability to breathe.

 

There is nothing here but this darkness. I am not real. Anything that may have existed before the darkness was just a ruse. I exist only to vanish within the impenetrable folds of the darkness that is now my reality.

 

I…

 

No, that’s not right.

 

I am not surrounded by darkness, I’m alright. I’m just dreaming. If I force myself to awaken, then… I will awaken. I will be able to breathe again.

 

I squeeze my eyes shut and force out the darkness, staring holes through the inside of my eyelids. I am real, and I can breathe, and I _will_ breathe.

 

My nails dig into my palms with the effort it takes for me to choke down a breath and I realise it hurts. It wouldn’t hurt if I was still dreaming. That means I’m awake. Maybe? Where am I?

 

I’m wary of opening my eyes, so instead I suck in a few more breaths and try to figure out where I am. I close my mouth and breathe through my nose now and the scent of plants is so poignant that I’m sure that I’m outside. The back of my shirt feels wet. Maybe…? I’m lying down, on my back. I’m sure of it. It feels as though there is something soft beneath me, but it must be damp, otherwise my shirt wouldn’t be wet… grass? Perhaps dew? One thing is for certain, though, and that’s that I’m not where I was before.

 

...where was I before?

 

I thought I knew, but as soon as I think about it, the memory slips from my grasp.

 

That’s annoying. Oh well. Focus on the task at hand, Rantaro.

 

I realise that the pain in my hand from where my fingernails are digging into it is actually quite painful and I relax my fingers from the first I’d been making. My fingertips brush against the tips of the blades of grass that I am certainly lying on and I confirm that my surmise as to my location is correct. If I concentrate, I can feel a bit of a breeze on my face, blowing against my bangs, though it’s definitely weaker from where I’m lying, on the ground. I might just be imagining things, however, caught up in my theory that I’m outside. But there’s no use speculating further.

 

I think that’s about the extent of what I can observe with my eyes closed. If I want to go about this in a productive manner, I’ll have to open my eyes. I force out a breath through my teeth and allow my eyelids to fall open.

 

Correction: I’m not really outside. I’m in… an atrium? Oh, but it’s strange, because I’m definitely lying atop grass. That particular guess wasn’t incorrect. I sit up and rub my temples with both hands, attempting to take stock of my surroundings.

 

I’d guess that the room I’m in is the home of a number of hotel rooms, or something like that, because in spite of the fact that there isn’t a ceiling above my head (hence my coming to the conclusion that this is an atrium) there are several rows of doors present both in front of me and on my left, and my right. Upon closer observation, I note that I am lying down on a patch of grass, but it appears to have grown in through the cracks in the grey spotted, white marble floor that used to be here. Whoever takes care of this place doesn’t do it very well, I decide. But I should be easier on them. I don’t know how big the premises are, and there are definitely over a dozen doors around me, so that’s already a lot to maintain. I roll my shoulders and get to my feet, stretching my arms above my head to get out the kinks in my lower back.

 

I go camping a lot, so sleeping on the ground usually isn’t uncomfortable to me, but marble is a whole other story. I yawn and turn around, noting that the wall behind me isn’t lined with rooms. Instead, it looks as though there’s a single door there, and based on the absence of a plate on the top of the door, I’d say that it’s an exit, rather than a room.

 

Speaking of the plates…

 

I walk tentatively towards one of the doors that caught my eye when I was just waking up and confirm what I’d suspected a moment ago; the door has a plate with my name on it. There’s no doubting it, either. They’ve got the right kanjis and everything.

 

“That’s… weird,” I murmur, reaching up and running my fingertips over the engravings on the plate. It looks pretty legitimate. I have no idea why I’m here, but… it looks like somebody put a lot of effort into making this plate specifically for me.

 

I’m about to get lost in thought, but the sound of a door opening and closing behind me cuts off my thoughts. I flip around, brows raised, only to see that the exit I’d noticed before has opened, and somebody has stepped through it, if I’m judging by her position next to the door, or her hand, still resting on the knob.

 

A young woman has entered the space and is now standing there, looking around the atrium with wide eyes. She’s silent, just taking in the place, until her gaze falls on me, and her almond-shaped eyes widen even more. “Oh! I didn’t see you there, I’m sorry,” she speaks with a slight accent and I place it to be from around the Kanto region. (I have no _idea_ what my accent would sound like, after I’ve traveled so much.) “Uhm…?”

 

I don’t want to make her feel awkward, so I smile and wave, walking in her direction. She follows suit and meets me halfway. When I’m about two feet away from her, I stop, and the air stagnates as we take each other in.

 

She’s shorter than me, but I’d still place her at around the average height for a girl her age. Her dark brown eyes are still wide, as though she’s surprised, though I can tell that it’s not a face that she makes very often. Her hair is long and black, as is commonplace in Japan, and she has tied it into a long, simple braid that sways when she fidgets. There is a light pink flower tucked above her ear and her nose and cheeks are dotted with light freckles. She dresses casually, in a white blouse with vertical grey stripes that she has tied up into a crop top. She also wears black tennis shoes and leggings. I meet her eyes again and her expression breaks into a slight smile, which I return, thankful that she seems friendly enough.

 

“Hey,” I break the silence because I still haven’t responded to her apology. “Don’t worry about it, I uhm… I just woke up in here, and I’m not entirely sure what’s going on, so I’m a little disoriented too and I’m not about to hold it against you.” I scratch the back of my neck, chuckling nervously.

 

“Ah!” She perks up. “I just woke up here too! I mean, not in here, obviously, just down the hallway a little bit…” her face flushes. “This is the first place that I came to explore, really, because I’m not sure what else to do.” Clearing her throat, the girl extends a hand. “I’m Takako Miyake. Sorry for not introducing myself sooner.”

 

Her name sends off bells in my mind and for a moment I’m not sure why. But then it dawns on me and I feel my eyebrows raising again. “You’re an Ultimate, right?”

 

Takako nods, smiling sheepishly. “Yes… I, uhm, try not to talk about it too much, though, I…”

 

“No, I get it.” I say, before she can continue, and feel myself grin. “I’m an Ultimate too. I’ve actually never met another Ultimate before, though I’ve seen your name in the news. You choreographed that flash-mob in Paris the day I was visiting.”

 

“You saw that…? It was my first time choreographing out of Japan, and I don’t think I did a very good job…” Takako’s face reddens further. “Oh, but- yes, I’m the Ultimate Choreographer.” Suddenly, her gaze refocuses. “You… you said you’re also an Ultimate?”

 

“Yeah, that’s right.” I nod. “I’m Rantaro Amami, by the way. The Ultimate Adventurer.”

 

Giggling into her hand, Takako tilts her head to the side. “I’m like you, I’ve never met another Ultimate before, but the title Adventurer is kind of…?”

 

I chuckle, because I get what she means. “For sure. I got it through traveling around a lot. I…” I, actually don’t want to talk about that. I clear my throat and change the subject. “Uh, it doesn’t matter, but anyway, the Ultimate Foundation reached out to me a couple years ago and the benefits I’ve gotten thanks to them in my travels have made it super worth it.”

 

“Sorry if I sounded critical about it.” Takako apologises. “If you’re an Ultimate Adventurer, you must be very good at it.” She closes her eyes, nodding seriously. “It’s kind of crazy the resources I’ve gotten just through being called the Ultimate Choreographer… I don’t need that much to put together dances, of course, mostly just my own brain and people to dance the dances, but still… it’s nice.” She opens her eyes again and gasps. “Gosh! I’ve completely forgotten why I’m even here… I’m supposed to be taking stock on the situation, but the second a nice guy shows up…”

 

Well, I’m flattered. “I think this is a dormitory, of sorts? I thought maybe it was a bunch of hotel rooms, but if there’s something else out there, then…”

 

Takako hums. “I don’t think this is a hotel? There are a lot of rooms out there but honestly I was kind of intimidated so I didn’t go into any of them yet. It’s possible.” She looks up, smiling slightly and sighing. “It’s nice that this is an atrium, though… I was worried because it’s so dark out there, the windows are all covered in vines and I could barely see the sky! There’s plenty of fresh air here.” She brushes a piece of hair behind her ear and then looks at me. “Do you remember coming here at all?”

 

“No, I’m sorry.” I shake my head. “I have no idea what I was even doing before I came here. Every time I try to think back on it, my head starts hurting.” I sigh, then gesture at the doors. “But, I did notice that my name was on one of the plaques there.” I point towards the door I was just standing in front of. “That one. As though it’s my room.”

 

“That’s… weird, wait.” Takako turns around and moves across the space, stopping in front of one of the doors and looking up at the plate. “Look, Rantaro!” I walk over at her instruction and stop behind her, following her gaze. “This one’s got my name on it.” Just as Takako said, the door we’re looking at has her name on it. I frown, then look around.

 

“...are there more people here?” I ask, almost to myself, counting the doors. There are sixteen of them, and they all have nameplates on them. “Because maybe…”

 

“I think so…?” Takako steps forward and settles into place next to me. “It doesn’t make sense for us to be the only people here, after all.”

 

Hm… well, then… “I have a theory.” I decide. “But I’m not sure if it’s true yet, so… before I tell you what it is, would you be alright with looking around the premises with me, Takako?” I glance at her, meet her eyes. “I want to confirm if my theory is correct or not, and I need more information in order to do that. I’d feel more comfortable if I wasn’t exploring by myself.”  
  
She nods. “Of course, I’d be happy to.” Takako offers a smile. “To be honest, I was kind of nervous about looking around alone, because I don’t know what’s waiting for me here, so… I’ll gladly look around with you.”

 

“Great. Then, let’s get going. I feel like there’s going to be a lot for us to see.”

 

With that said, Takako and I exit the atrium together, in silence. There’s plenty that I’d like to say, or establish, but as soon as we step into the hallway, I’m immediately distracted by my surroundings.

 

The hallway is pretty long, and lined with several doors. Against the far wall there is a fork in the road, and presumably more to walk along. The ambiance honestly isn’t anything scary. The lights in the ceiling are sort of dim, but it feels like an aesthetic decision, more than anything else. The only thing that’s slightly off-putting is the fact that the walls, which would otherwise be pleasant on the eyes, are covered in vines. Again I wonder who does maintenance around here, but then dismiss the thoughts. Who knows? The vines could potentially be a conscious decision as well. With that in mind, I pay no further attention to them as I stride up to the door that is closest to me and grasp the handle.

 

It appears to be locked. Just to be sure, I jiggle the door a couple more times, with no results.

 

“All of these doors are locked.” A distinctly masculine voice calls out to me and I turn around, surprised. “Oh, did I surprise you? Sorry about that.” I meet the eyes of the guy in question; he’s only across the hall from me. Honestly, he’s standing pretty close. Still, his approach must have been silent, because from Takako’s tenseness beside me, I can tell that she didn’t see him coming either. The stranger who just spoke talked with a laziness to his words, making me think he grew up in the country. His brown hair is incredibly wavy, and it looks as though he has a ton of cartilage piercings (as well as a piercing above his left eyebrow) but what’s really striking about him are his eyes. Bright purple, and shifting shades in the light. He’s wearing what appears to be a grey t-shirt underneath a black adidas jacket. One of the sleeves is pushed up, but the other goes nearly to his fingertips. His dark blue jeans are ripped in various places and his shoelaces are untied. There is a golden necklace around his neck, as well.

 

“No problem.” I smile, stepping forward. “I imagine you’ve already tried to open all of them?”

 

The guy nods. “Figured I’d save you the effort. Uh…” he glances off to the side, like he’s bored. “I’m Keiji Arakawa. I’ve met a couple people already so I figured you guys are Ultimates too?” I glance at Takako and we both nod. “That’s weird, dude. You don’t get that a lot. This many Ultimates in one place. Anyway,” he rolls his eyes. “I’m the Ultimate Skateboarder. Which feels like a stupid title to tell to people when I don’t have my skateboard here with me, but whatever.”

 

He seems like a pretty chill guy, if slightly apathetic. I’m sure he’s just stuck in a teenage rebellion phase, or something. That makes sense for somebody who skateboards a lot. “It’s nice to meet you, Keiji.” I smile. “I’m Rantaro Amami, the Ultimate Adventurer.”  


“Takako Miyake,” Takako chimes in. “Ultimate Choreographer.”

 

“I’ll be honest, the Adventurer one is kinda odd.” Keiji shrugs. I’d be more offended, but I’m used to reactions like that. Still, I do feel my smile straining a little, though I’m sure that neither Keiji nor Takako notices. “But there’s probably a good reason behind it. It’s chill, anyway.” You say that, but it’s not like I was going to apologise… “Cool. This situation is pretty wack. I’m gonna keep looking around, but yeah. It looks like there’s a dining hall there to the left, and a gym to the right. Also other stuff, but I haven’t looked at everything just yet.”

 

“Well, thank you. I have a better idea of what to expect, now.” I point behind me, at the door we just came from. “I think there are dormitories in there.” I add, wanting to return the favour.

 

“Two of the doors have our names on them.” Takako supplies, messing with her hair. “So your name is probably on one of them too.”

 

Keiji nods. “Neat. Uh, later, I guess.” He brushes past us, and I wave as he disappears into the dormitories.

 

There’s a moment of silence when he’s gone. “He seems nice,” Takako offers, and I chuckle, nodding.

 

“I’ll withhold judgement for now, but yeah, he doesn’t seem like a bad guy.” I agree. “I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt with what little I know about him right now and say that he’s probably just taking a moment to get adjusted to the situation, so that comes out as forced indifference. That shouldn’t reflect badly on him as a person. Just shows that maybe he’s not that used to adversity.” I clear my throat. “Or, my conjecture is entirely wrong, and he’s just a regular guy, and that _really is_ how skateboarders talk.”

 

Giggling, Takako shrugs and starts to walk down the hallway. I follow her as she begins to speak. “Well, I hope you aren’t making those sorts of assumptions about me.” She calls over her shoulder, and I smile slightly, shaking my head. I figure that she probably wants to say something else, though, so I hold my tongue as she stops at the fork in the hallway. “Gym or dining hall first?”

 

“Uhm… the gym feels like more of a destination to leave for later.” I decide, gesturing to the left. “So let’s go this way for now. I don’t know much about the structure of this building, but I’d guess that there will be some way to get to the gym from the dining hall other than by going back around the building. And even if we can’t find that, then we can just backtrack. We will definitely cover everything.”

 

“You talk like you do this a lot!” Takako chirps. “I guess that’s sort of in your field of expertise as an adventurer though, huh? I bet you get kidnapped like this all the time!”

 

Haha, that would be pretty terrible if it was true. Instead of confirming or denying it, though, I just wink at Takako as we start down the hallway. Her resulting laugh lets me know that I was successful, but thinking about what _that_ reminds me of is pretty unpleasant so I just try not to. Instead, I slide my hands into my pockets and stop by the first doors we reach. Notably, not a dining hall. If the signs are anything to go by, they’re bathrooms. I glance over at Takako.

 

“Honestly? I don’t think there’s going to be much in here, but…”

 

“We should be diligent.” Takako agrees with me before I even say what was on my mind. Huh. It seems like she’s rather perceptive. It reminds me… no, bad. “I’ll check the women’s room, you can check the men’s. And don’t make this weird! They’re just bathrooms!”

 

I wasn’t going to until you said that!

 

I sigh as she disappears into the women’s room and turn, opening the door to the men’s. A quick sweeping glance around the bathroom tells me that there’s nothing of interest in here; just a row of urinals and a couple stalls. Honestly, you’d think they’d be more mindful of people who feel uncomfortable peeing outside a stall… not that that’s me, but I’m just saying. Sometimes I’m having a bad day.

 

I peek into the broom closet but it yields no results so ultimately I end up heading back into the hallway, where Takako is waiting.

 

“I found a note!” She announces as soon as I step out. I raise my eyebrows at her, indicating for her to continue. “Here, read it yourself.”

 

She hands over the note to me and I glance over it.

 

_“When you are ready to begin, head to the gym!_

_-Your beloved trip planner,_

_Monokuma_

 

_P.S. Use code Kuma to get fifty percent off on Kuramoto Cosmetics!”_

 

“Fifty percent? That’s really good, for Kuramoto Cosmetics.” I remark, snorting. “Though ‘bear’ is an odd code, do you think it has anything to do with this Monokuma person?”

 

“That’s what you’re concerned about?” Takako makes a face at me. “Ready to begin? Begin what? And who’s Monokuma?”

 

“The trip planner, obviously.” I shrug. “It seems like a pretty harmless note. Maybe we should look at the gym last, in case there’s something there that we need to be ready for.” I hand the note back to Takako. “I wouldn’t worry about it, though. I’m sure everything is going to be fine. You should put the note back, in case it’s there for somebody else’s eyes, y’know? But maybe we’ll get some answers when we go to the gym.”

 

“You’re being awfully relaxed about this.” She observes. “I thought you didn’t know anything about what’s going on here, Rantaro.”

 

I spread my hands out in front of her. “Hey, I wasn’t lying when I said that. I still have no idea what’s going on. But so far it seems like we’re in a non-hostile setting! Obviously, we have to get out of here, but there’s no use worrying about it too much.” I think of my commitments. I _definitely_ need to get out of here. There isn’t much time for me to be dithering about. But I mean what I’m saying. If I spend too much time dwelling on questions that there’s no possible way for me to have an answer to, then I’m going to waste a lot of energy on something unimportant, and if there are threats further down the road, then I’ll have to be ready to face the danger. For now, it seems like I’m safe… even if I’m in unfamiliar territory. This is business as usual for me, as the Ultimate Adventurer. Things should be fine.

 

Sighing, Takako nods. “You’re right. I shouldn’t stress.” She massages her temple with one hand and nods again. “I’ll put this note back in the bathroom, then we can keep moving.” She disappears into the women’s room, her braid swishing behind her, and she’s not going to be gone for more than a couple moments, but apparently that’s all that’s needed.

 

“Wow! What are you doing standing weirdly outside the women’s restroom?” Suddenly there is a girl, about Takako’s height, standing right in front of me and leering up into my eyes. I’m surprised by two things- one being that she suddenly materialised around the corner without me noticing, and the other that she didn’t see Takako obviously walking into the bathroom a few seconds ago. “I hope you’re not some kind of creep!”

 

Yikes. “No! No way, I’m not that kind of guy, I swear!” I wave my hands in front of me, defensively. The woman who has just walked up to me is definitely a city-kid. Her hair is dyed teal, though I think I can see black roots starting to show from underneath her maroon beanie, which is practically hanging off her head, the way she’s wearing it. I have a lot of piercings, and so did Keiji, but she makes both of us look pretty lame with her nose, lip, and large amounts of cartilage piercings. She must have immense difficulty at airports. She’s pretty, honestly, and her makeup is carefully done; though the purple lipstick is an odd choice, I’ll be honest. She is wearing a white blouse and a red bowtie, which says a lot, I think, about her personality, and a large grey jacket over. Another comparison I can’t help making to Keiji is that her jeans, while black, are also obnoxiously tight, and ripped at the knees. Her eyes are hazel, and honestly look rather kind, but she’s glaring at me, like she doesn’t believe a word I’m saying, and I’ll be real, my position does look pretty suspect, but-

 

“Uhh... Rantaro, what-?” Takako pokes her head out of the bathroom, brows raising when she sees the girl who has pretty much backed me into the wall with her accusatory glare. Thankfully, my newly made friend utilises her observational prowess and seems to get a grasp of the situation pretty quickly. “Oh… Oh! No no no, it’s okay, he’s not being a weirdo.” She grins and steps out of the bathroom, like she finds this all to be very funny, even though I’m kind of _scared for my life._ “We’re investigating the premises together, and I thought we shouldn’t skip anything, even the bathrooms, so we went to look here. He’s just waiting for me to put something back.”

 

“I see.” The girl nods and takes a step back, dusting off the front of her shirt. “That’s my bad, you know, I can be pretty forward when I want to be.” Yeah, no kidding. “But I’m sorry for jumping to conclusions.” She clears her throat. “Aw… when I take a second look at you, you don’t actually look like much of a gross guy. Just a regular guy. Which isn’t ideal, but that’s alright.”

 

I smile as apologetically as I can manage, given the circumstances. “Sorry.”

 

“Oh, no worries.” She dismisses my apology, as if it had to happen to begin with, and then meets my eyes, smiling. “Anyway! You two are Ultimates, yeah? That’s what that obnoxious skateboarder guy said…” she mumbles something under her breath about cis-male scum, then refocuses. “I’m Kayoko Takashima, and I’m the Ultimate Poet!”

 

“Ah!” Takako perks up. “I bought your latest anthology! It’s really good, I don’t see a lot of young poets who put out work that’s as raw as yours is! I cried a lot when I was reading it, you know? You really talked about some important things in your poems.”

 

That seems to be pretty much the best thing that Takako could have said to her, because Kayoko’s eyes brighten at the praise. “That’s so sweet, my gosh… I hit a huge block when I was putting that one out and I couldn’t have done it without lots of support but I’m super happy that what I came out with was able to reach you on an emotional level. That’s all I ever want as a poet.” She clears her throat again, scratching the back of her neck. “So, who are you guys?”

 

“I’m Takako Miyake. Ultimate Choreographer.” Takako says this with more enthusiasm than with the introduction she shared with Keiji. I suppose it’s something about meeting somebody who you’ve heard of beforehand that can be invigorating. I don’t share quite the same excitement, but I still smile when I introduce myself.

 

“Rantaro Amami. Ultimate Adventurer.”

 

“So, did you get the piercings on a travel, or something?” Kayoko inquires, and her tone is so harmless that I don’t really feel like she’s on the offensive anymore, and relax a little bit as I nod.

 

“It was scary, really. I wasn’t expecting it to hurt so much. But that’s my own fault for starting out with cartilage piercings. I just thought they looked nicer, but still.”

 

Kayoko nods, like she understands, and I guess she _would,_ wouldn’t she? “I feel that. My lobe was definitely less of a pain to pierce, and I did it all myself, you know? So the cartilage was difficult, and it never really gets any easier.”

 

Smiling slightly, Takako touches her own white studs as she speaks. “I think I’m a bit too much of a wimp to get much further up my ear than these.” She admits. “But I haven’t had these for too long. I’m honestly paranoid that I’ll make some mistake maintaining them and then get an ear infection. That would be pretty bad.”  


“Well…” Kayoko touches her chin in thought. “I know plenty on the topic, and I bet Rantaro does too, so after we get out of here, we should keep in touch a little bit and we can tell you all about it. Sound good?” She meets my eyes and I nod, glad that Kayoko doesn’t seem to hate me after our initial introduction. Takako agrees, flashing a thumbs up and also a grin. “Sweet! I still have more of this building to look at, but I’ll see you guys around, definitely, right?”

 

“Oh!” Takako clears her throat. “The gym is down that way, and you should go there last, after you finish investigating the place. We found a note that said to go to the gym when we are ready to begin. I’m not sure what that means, but it’s still worth being prepared.”

 

“The note also said to use code Kuma for fifty percent off on Kuramoto Cosmetics,” I add, and Takako elbows me, which is valid. “So…”

 

“I don’t like Kuramoto Cosmetics. The company is run by a straight guy who doesn’t even like makeup! They’re just trying to target women by selling lousy products!” I don’t think that’s what that means, though? “Anyway, I’ll see you two around, then! Thanks for the tip, Takako!” With that said, Kayoko brushes past us, presumably to go investigate the dorms. I sigh, shaking my head.

 

“I like makeup too…” I mutter, more to myself than anything. Not that I’m a huge fan of Kuramoto, but still, it’s kind of rude to discredit the work he’s doing because he’s a guy. Takako rolls her eyes, but she’s still smiling, so I think it’s safe to say that Kayoko made a positive impression on her. Well, as long as she’s not worrying so much, I guess that I don’t really have a problem with that. (YIKES. Older brother urges better reign themselves back in, I only just met Takako.)

 

Takako gestures for us to keep going, so I nod, steeling my jaw and my nerves. Not like there’s been much to be afraid of thus far. Still, you never know what might be waiting for us up ahead.


	2. Prologue [2]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rantaro meets Emiko Yokohama and Yuuto Oyama, and also receives a nickname.

The doors to what I assume is the dining hall are tall. They almost reach up to the ceiling, which is interesting. It isn’t as though the ceiling is abnormally high, but I guess it’s just trying to fit in with the archaic feeling this building is giving me. This is the kind of building that I would love to spend time exploring of my own devices under different circumstances. I still haven’t entirely ruled out the notion that I’m here by choice, after all. But I shouldn’t get too comfortable. I know that.

 

Without speaking, I reach out and open the door for Takako. Thankfully, as indicated by the handles on the doors, it is a pull door, so I manage to avoid embarrassing myself. (Though it’s only a matter of time before I end up doing it anyway.)

 

“Thank you!” This is said with a smile on Takako’s part as she ducks under my arm and steps into the dining hall. I follow suit and allow the door to fall shut behind me. Interestingly, it doesn’t close all the way when I release the door. There must be too snug of a fit between the two doors for it to close entirely without a little extra help. I figure that since Takako and I will be exiting here soon enough, I can just leave it partly open for now.

 

There are several things about the dining hall that catch my eyes. First, the windows, which are long, nearly reaching the floor, and all around the room. The space is much more well-lit than the hallways, that’s for sure. The windows aren’t entirely transparent, either. I amble towards one of the windows and rub my thumb along the material. It comes away with particles of dust, so I think maybe the window was sanded to get this translucent feel. There’s no way of seeing the outside through these. Breaking the window doesn’t seem inconceivable, because I can feel a slight draft coming from the bottom so I don’t think the glass is too thick, but I might hold off on that for now. If this is a misunderstanding and we’re all here by choice for some reason, I don’t want to risk getting in legal trouble for property damage.

 

I wipe my thumb off on my pants and turn around, taking in the rest of the room. There is a single, long table in the very center, surrounded by chairs. I count sixteen. Seems like the space was sort of made for us. They look like comfortable chairs, too. There are a couple other tables in the area, though they’re a lot smaller, and I’d guess that they’re for refreshments, or seating if somebody doesn’t enjoy company. There is another door off at the far end of the room, and I assume that it leads to the kitchen, but before I check…

 

In the far right corner of the room, there is what appears to be a glass door of a similar material to the windows. It probably leads outside, but it’s chained up, so I don’t think that it’s accessible yet. Maybe it leads to a patio, or something, in case somebody wants to eat outside. In general it’s a nice space. There are also a couple chandeliers above my head, though they’re unlit at the moment. Probably for meals late at night. There appears to be somebody crouching next to the far door, so with a glance at Takako, I make my way over and crouch down next to them, watching what they’re doing.

 

They appear to be looking down at something on the floor, though for the life of me, I can’t figure out what it is. For a moment, I just watch their expression, and then their gaze flickers over to me and I am noticed.

 

“...sorry, I didn’t mean to ignore you.” The person who I’ve crouched next to is a guy, probably around my age. He looks tired, though, and serious, so from far away, I’d almost say he’s a young adult. But this close, I can definitely tell that he’s a teenager. His light periwinkle hair is wavy, with a lot of volume. I think he probably takes good care of it, but I’m not an expert. His eyes are dark blue and though he’s smiling slightly right now, I don’t think that he makes the expression very often, based on the scowl lines present on his face. It looks as though he hasn’t shaved recently, because he has a bit of stubble growing on his chin. (Or maybe that’s a conscious choice. His neck is clear of any hair.) At least, what I can see of it is. He’s wearing a grey scarf that brushes against his chin as he turns his head entirely to face me. He is wearing a large black sweater and shorts, as well as long black shorts. A questionable fashion choice, to be sure, but I think he’s handsome enough to pull it off. Though I’m ready to revise that observation, because it looks like he’s wearing an airpod.

 

“Don’t worry about it, it’s not like I announced myself.” I reassure him with a smile. “What are you looking at?”

 

“Well…” the guy looks back down where he was looking before and points out the spot that had his attention a moment ago. There isn’t a mat here or anything, but the floor is pretty clean, like nobody has used this entrance in a while. Which is fairly normal, I’ll be honest, considering that the door is chained up. But now that he’s pointing it out to me, I can see what’s caught his eye. “There’s dirt here, like somebody’s used this door recently and didn’t bother to clean it up. I was just wondering if this door has always been chained up, or if this is a recent development.” He sighs, running a hand through his hair. “My guess is that there was a placemat here, and the dirt that it didn’t catch ended up on this spot on the floor. That’s why it’s so unnaturally clean.”   
  


“Oh! You’re smart.” I grin. “I don’t think I ever would have thought of that.”

 

“Ah, no.” He shakes his head. “I just do a lot of work with finer details like this, so I have an eye for it. I’m a bit of a control freak. But it helps in my line of work.” He grins, like he’s flattered anyway, and meets my gaze again. “I’m Yuuto Oyama, by the way. The title I was given is the Ultimate Director. I’ve done a couple murder mystery films in the past, so I always have an eye out.”

 

“I think I know what you mean.” I scratch the back of my head. “It’s like how every time I finish reading a mystery novel or something, I always want to solve a case. I actually don’t get a lot of time for books- especially not such time consuming books like mystery novels- but I can definitely relate.” I clear my throat, offering a handshake. “And I’m Rantaro Amami, Ultimate Adventurer. I assume you’ve met some other people around here?”

 

Yuuto nods, accepting my handshake. “Yes, so I figured you’d be an Ultimate too… this is weird, though, isn’t it?” He gets to my feet without releasing my hand and helps me up onto mine. I thank him and let go of his hand before he continues to speak. “I mean, aside from the obvious… I don’t think that the Ultimate Foundation would have any reason to do this sort of thing, but they’re the only group I can imagine that would have the resources and the knowledge to get together over a dozen Ultimates.”

 

“Sixteen, I think.” Takako, who must have followed me over here when I went to talk to Yuuto, enters the conversation without skipping a beat. She smiles brightly, bouncing onto the balls of her feet for a moment. “My name’s Takako Miyake. I’m the Ultimate Choreographer.”

 

Humming, Yuuto puts out his hand, offering Takako a handshake. “I think you already heard, but… Yuuto Oyama.” His tone of voice is very serious; official, like he’s making a formal introduction with a work acquaintance. It’s kind of hard for me to believe that this guy is a teenager, to be honest. If not for the roundness of his face, and the fact that he’s an Ultimate and the Ultimate Foundation only ever chooses teenagers (specifically high school aged, though there have been a few notable exceptions) I’m sure that I’d think he’s a lot older than I am, even though it seems like he’s a few inches shorter than me.

 

“Pleasure to meet you.” As Takako says this, her smile turns a little bit sly, though her gaze remains on Yuuto. Honestly, if not for the situation, I’d almost say that…

 

Hoo, boy, alright. I glance around the room, deciding that I don’t have any interest in engaging in that type of a conversation, decide to check the kitchen. “Hey, uhh… you two can keep talking, I’m gonna look in there.” I look back at Takako and Yuuto and point over my shoulder, at the door which I assume leads to the kitchen.

 

“Okay, I’ll wait for you.” Takako says, nodding. “Let me know if you find anything interesting.”

 

“Will do.” I give a two-fingered salute and turn, walking over to the door. I try the knob and it turns in my hand, so I figure that it’s unlocked, which is good, because I’m not sure how I’d look into the kitchen if I wasn’t able to get it. I push the door open and step inside.

 

It’s… a remarkably well-stocked kitchen, honestly. There is a long counter in the center of the room, with a large assortment of bowls, strainers, pots, and pans stocked up. The perimeter of the room is lined with a bunch of other counters, which appear to have a bunch of other cooking materials that I can recognise. And many that I don’t. I mean, I can cook. Traveling as much as I do, it would be pretty bad if I couldn’t make my own food. But I’m not an expert by any means and it looks like a lot of the things here are pretty obscure. I notice that the counters that are hugging the walls are actually drawers, and I open the one nearest to me; utensils, it looks like. There are a bunch of cabinets lining the walls, which I assume have plates and cups. On the right, there are a couple sinks, a dishwasher, an oven, and a large refrigerator. On the handle of the dishwasher and oven there are several hand rags draped, and they look to be clean and dry.

 

After I’ve finished scanning the room, I notice that there is a girl standing in here. (I really need to start taking note of these things sooner.) Unlike Takako and Yuuto, she appears to have noticed me right away, because even though she’s standing some distance away from me, by the fridge, her head is tilted to the side and her gaze is on my face.

 

She has chin-length chestnut brown hair that curls away from her head, aside from two pieces of hair that angle towards her chin, and large, round, sky-blue eyes. Her pale skin accentuates the rosiness in her cheeks, and she looks rather child-like, though I’d definitely put her at around my age. Having said that… she’s easily a foot and a few inches shorter than me. Which is pretty uncommon, considering that she’s probably around fifteen or sixteen. She is dressed in a more childish manner as well, with white overalls and a pink shirt with horizontal stripes. With her white socks and black mary janes, she really does look young. The only thing that ages her is a long, ugly scar going across her right cheek and stopping just before her ear.

 

“Uhm-” but before I can continue, she speaks.

 

“Sorry for staring! I was just surprised that you walked in here.” Wow, it seems like a lot of my interactions with these people are starting with apologies. I’m fully prepares to wave her off, but she walks over and stops in front of me, holding her hands behind her back with a slight smile on her face. “You came straight to the food too, huh? I don’t remember what was going on before I woke up here, but man! I’m hungry. I must not have eaten, or something. Or maybe I’ve just been unconscious for so long, any food I was eating before I came here is completely gone.” She blinks. “I’m talking too much?”

 

She says it like a question, so I shake my head, smiling. “No, it’s fine. I’m pretty hungry too, though that’s not why I’m in here.” I don’t know if I’d trust any of the food here just yet, to be completely honest. Not like I think whoever brought us here would go through all the trouble of making all these preparations if they just wanted us to die. Still, better safe than sorry. I don’t say it, in any case, because I don’t want to make her feel bad for not thinking of it.

 

“I see… well, then.” She raises her eyebrows. “What’s your name?”

 

“Rantaro Amami,” I reply, and even though she didn’t ask for my Ultimate Talent, I give it anyway. “I’m the Ultimate Adventurer.” I’ve had to say my Ultimate talent a lot, today. And considering that I’ve only really met five people here, I’m going to have to say it ten more times at least. Oh, boy.   
  


“Oh! You’re an Ultimate too!” The girl brightens, which makes me think she hasn’t met anybody else yet. “I’m Emiko Yokohama, the Ultimate Pacifist.” She rests both of her hands on the back of her neck, grinning. “I know, it’s a weird talent. How can you be the best at not hurting people? To be honest, I think the Ultimate Anti-war Activist is probably better. But that’s a mouthful! Also, I don’t know if I’m a fan of the alliteration. Kind of cringey.”

 

Her voice is definitely higher in pitch, but it’s sweet, and I can tell that Emiko is definitely a teenager. She seems smart enough, too, and friendly. “I’m not really in the position to judge you with a talent like Ultimate Adventurer.” I promise. “Does Ultimate Pacifist mean… you don’t fight people?”

 

“It’s more than that.” Emiko pouts. “I reject violence, you know? That means I refuse, under any circumstances, to do harm to another human being! I would never raise a fist, or a weapon, even in self defense!” It seems more like suicide than defiance to me, but I can respect the philosophy. Me, I’d probably fight to protect myself if I had to. Though I’ll admit that I’d rather talk it out first. “I’m also vegetarian, but that’s just because I have a really weak immune system and my stomach can’t really process meat. I get super sick! So I don’t believe that eating meat counts as violence. A lot of people ask me that! It’s weird. Like, correlation is not causation and all that.” She blinks. “I’m definitely oversharing.”

 

“Haha, don’t worry about it.” I shake my head. “You just have a lot to say, there’s nothing wrong with that.”   
  


Emiko hums. “You’re nice, Rantaro! I like you.” She decides, smiling again. “Since you’re nice, I’ll tell you what’s in here so you don’t have to look. Though you’re welcome to still look even after I tell you, if you don’t trust me.”

 

“Oh, no, I’ll trust you.” I promise, scratching the back of my head. “I don’t have any reason to distrust anybody here, Emiko, but definitely not a pacifist.”

 

She raises an eyebrow at me. “Well, don’t take  _ that  _ as a reason to trust me. I might be super evil, even if I don’t hurt people physically! I knew a pacifist once who was super manipulative! Not me, I just make people feel bad if they try to hurt me by letting them do it!” That… does sound a little manipulative, though? And also unsafe. Maybe that’s why she has that scar. Still, it doesn’t sound like that strategy is particularly harmful, so I won’t say anything about it. “Anyway! There’s a lot of food in that fridge. Perishables and stuff! And all of it looks super fresh. They even have tofu, which is awesome! It’s almost like the fridge was stocked for this group.” Emiko giggles, like she’s joking, though I’m pretty sure that’s the case. “There are tons of utensils and spoons in all those drawers. Coasters and things for setting the table on that side of the room. And the bottom drawers have tons of canned food, as well as dry noodles and stuff that doesn’t need to be refrigerated!” She points out one of the cabinets. “That cabinet has a lot of top ramen and stuff. I guess some people just like that.”

 

“Wow, you looked at everything, huh?” I’m impressed. I mean, not only that she looked, but also that she’s able to remember everything that she saw. I’m betting that Emiko hides a lot of intelligence in all of the words she says.

 

“I did, yeah.” Her cheeks flush a little bit, though they were already slightly pink, as though she’s embarrassed or flattered. “I uh, was looking for something to eat, but there was so much, I got overwhelmed and just ended up standing in the refrigerator.” Emiko clears her throat and clarifies: “I mean, I wasn’t, like, standing  _ in  _ the refrigerator, but I was definitely standing with the door open. I only closed the door when I saw you come in.” I nod, to let her know that I understand. (I’ve done the same thing before myself, after all.) “I don’t even know if I should eat anything here, though…? I mean, it looks good, but I get sick so easily, I don’t know if the food is well-suited to my dietary needs… like, it seems like it, but I just have to be extra careful.”

 

“I get what you mean,” I say. “Having a sensitive immune system is something you need to keep an eye out for, in case any food is going to upset your stomach. I travel so much that I end up eating a lot of different types of food, and as a result I think I have a pretty strong stomach. But that’s not everyone. It’s probably a huge inconvenience.”

 

“I don’t know life without it, so I can’t really say.” Emiko shrugs, but smiles anyway. “I’m gonna keep having an internal battle with myself here, but if you have other places to look, you should probably go to them! I don’t want to hold you up by rambling about my diet.”

 

“Oh, yeah.” I nod, then remember the note that Takako found. “Whenever you’re finished up in here and not sure what to do, you should head to the gym. Takako- uhm, one of the other people here- and I found a note that says to go the gym when we feel ready to begin. Whatever that means.”

 

Tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, Emiko nods. “For sure, then! I think I know where that is, so that’s great. Thanks for the info, Rantaro.”

 

“No prob.” I smile, then put my hand back on the door. “I’ll see you in the gym, later,” I tell her, and when Emiko returns the sentiment, I pull the door open and step back into the dining hall, where Yuuto and Takako appear to still be talking. They’re both wearing pretty serious expressions on their faces, but Takako smiles when she sees me approach.

 

“Hey, ‘Taro! Can I call you Taro?” Takako tilts her head a little bit to the side, and the action reminds me so much of Emiko that I almost do a double take, but instead I nod. I don’t have a problem with nicknames… my younger sisters have given me much worse, after all.

 

“Sure, I don’t mind. What are you two talking about?”

 

“I realised that I’ve actually seen the first film that Yuuto directed, we were talking about it. Do you remember it? It’s a short-film about selective mutism called  _ I Can Hear You. _ It won all those awards, several years ago.”

 

I consider it. “Yeah, I think I know what you’re talking about!” I decide, smiling slightly. “Is that the one where the girl goes to a career fair and everyone thinks that she’s deaf because she’s not talking to them?”   
  


Yuuto nods. “That’s right, I had my younger sister starring in it. She’s mute, you know.” Well, I wouldn’t know, but I’m happy to have received the information…? The expression that appears on Yuuto’s face when he talks about his sister is familiar to me. It makes me smile wider, because of course my mind is going to my own sisters… and I can relate. “I don’t think the film, from a directing standpoint, was very good, nowadays. My sister and friends did excellent acting in it, but as far as my job as the director… tch.” He looks off to the side, looking irritated.

 

“I thought it was brilliant,” I offer. “How old were you when you directed it? You couldn’t have been older than twelve. It’s impressive for a person, not just for a kid your age… considering  _ that  _ detail, it’s incredible!”

 

“Eleven, actually.” He corrects me gently, but still smiles. “I appreciate it, Rantaro.” Then, Yuuto clears his throat, looking over to Takako. “I’m going to explore the premises a bit more, but when I’m done, I’ll go to the gym, like you said.” He tells her, and his tone is a little bit different than the one he addressed me with (not unfriendly towards either of us, of course, but I imagine that he and Takako connected a bit while I was talking to Emiko about her sensitive immune system).

 

“We should do the same.” Takako nods, then loops her arm through mine, grinning. “I’ll see you later, Yuuto! C’mon, Taro,” she adds, using the nickname that she asked to give me. (It makes sense that she’d use it, of course, so I’m not really all that surprised, but still, I thought it was worth noting.) I hum my agreement and allow myself to be dragged out of the dining hall. When we’re outside, she drops my arm and sighs, her smile dying down to something more genuine. “Wow.” She says this like a declaration, though I’m a bit behind.

 

“Wow?” I raise an eyebrow.

 

“Yeah, wow.” Takako agrees, sighing again. “He’s pretty.” She glances at me, raising an eyebrow. “He  _ is,  _ right? That wasn’t just me?”

 

Well, objectively, sure, but beyond that, I think that’s definitely just you. I smile slightly. “You know, I don’t actually feel attracted to people like that.” I say lightly, starting down the hall again and gesturing for her to follow. There is still more for us to see, so we’re not retracing our steps just yet. Takako matches my pace.

 

“What, you mean guys?” She tilts her head slightly. “No offense, but you don’t really come off to me as super straight, you know?”

 

“No, I didn’t mean it in that way…” I protest, scratching the back of my head. “I mean, I don’t feel attracted to people  _ in that way.  _ I’m asexual.”

 

“Ahhh, I see!” Takako nods. “There’s not really a good way to tell that sort of thing, but I’m glad I was right about the not straight thing! Those are points for me!” She pumps her fist in the air, grinning again. “I mean, I’m like, super bi, but that’s not gonna tell me automatically what everyone’s sexuality is.”

 

I hum out my agreement. She isn’t wrong about that. “He was pretty, though, I’ll give you that.” The word I used in my head was handsome, but I figure the two are pretty interchangeable when it comes down to it. Takako makes an excited noise in the back of her throat, like she’s happy that I affirmed her observation.

 

“It’s a pretty terrible time to be thinking about that kind of thing, considering the circumstances.” She points out, scratching the back of her head. “I should worry about it after we get out of here! But dang, we seriously need to keep in touch after this! And not just because I don’t have enough Ultimate friends- or any Ultimate friends, for that matter…” she frowns slightly.

 

“No, you do.” I say, and touch her shoulder lightly. “I mean, you do now, you know? I think we’re friends. I know it’s only been the better part of an hour, but that’s plenty of time to become friends. And if we can’t find a way out of this building,” which I’m not trying to think about, but it’s pretty silly not to at least consider the possibility. “Then we’re probably going to be spending a lot of time together.”

 

Takako gives me a sideways glance, then her grin returns. “You’re right. I gotta keep looking at the future! Or, the here and now, I guess… anyway! Let’s keep exploring this place with enthusiasm!” She puts her hands on her hips. “We’ve still got a bunch of people left to meet, after all!”

 

And Takako, filled with energy, takes the lead as we continue down the hallway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hohoho!!!! Yuuto is one of my favourites, though my absolute fave is yet to show up.
> 
> (I know. they're my OCs. I've spent a lot of time with them, alright??????? this means a lot to me.)
> 
> I hope you liked this chapter uwu.
> 
> updates won't be this fast in the future, I'm just sort of powering through character intros and stuff at the moment!! soon, I'll get a more consistent update schedule... probably something like once a week :)
> 
> until then... adieu!!


	3. Prologue [3]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rantaro meets Sayuri Gui, Juro Sako, and Kaoru Ukon. He also goes outside.

There are more doors lining the halls, but even though Takako and I make sure to test each one of them, they all seem to be locked. Curious as to what they’re meant to be, I walk backwards so that I can count the doors while stepping away. It seems as though there are five doors in this hallway, not including the dining hall. If I recall correctly, just in the hallway just outside of the dormitory, there were four doors; two on either side of the hall. And it seemed as though there were a couple other doors in the hallway that we walked through after the fork. I wonder what those doors lead to… and why they aren’t open yet.

 

We round the corner and I stop abruptly, almost bumping into a girl, who is standing next to the wall with her gaze fixed on something out the window.

 

Wait- the window? I do a double-take, and indeed, there is a window here. Several, actually. Though the window seems to be the same kind of glass as the windows in the dining hall, so I’m not sure what she’s looking at.

 

Her gaze shifts over to me, even though I managed to stop before we collided, and gestures at the window when I don’t speak first. “Have you ever seen windows made out of this kind of glass before?” Her question is actually pretty similar to the one that popped into my head, so I don’t have a lot of difficulty answering her.

 

“From time to time, but in bathrooms, mostly.” I respond, tapping my chin in contemplation. “I can’t see any reason why it would be used in a casual setting, though.”

 

“Exactly. So why is it here, where it should be possible to look out the window, and in the dining hall, of all places? I have a hard time believing that whatever situation we’re all in right now is casual.” She clears her throat, and then focuses on me. “Are you in the same situation as I am?”

 

“Uh… if by that, you mean you woke up with no idea how you got here, then I sure am.” I affirm, smiling slightly. “I’m Rantaro Amami, the Ultimate Adventurer.”

 

“Hey! Sorry to jump in, I’m just listening.” Takako chimes in with a smile, waving. “I’m the Ultimate Choreographer, Takako Miyake.”

 

“...I see, so you’re not, then…” The girl frowns, and a crease appears between her eyebrows. From the look of her, I can kind of tell it’s an expression she makes a lot. It’s as though she spends a lot of time concentrating really hard. But otherwise she looks like a fairly calm person, at least outwardly. It’s difficult for me to get a read on what’s going through her head. Her near-black eyes display no particular emotion, though it’s worth noting that they’re not cold, either. Her hair is wild, as though she messes with it a lot, and a pleasant shade of lavender. She wears a pair of round glasses and they seem to have slid just a little bit down the bridge of her nose. Her attire definitely matches with a school uniform; she dresses in a dark red, plaid skirt, a white blouse with a faded magenta ribbon, a red jacket, white socks, and plain black shoes. Notably, as well, she’s also wearing a pair of white gloves. “I’m Sayuri Gui,” she begins, uncertain.

 

“What’s your talent? Everyone here is an Ultimate, right?” Takako asks, though I’m aware the question may be a little insensitive, based on the expression that Sayuri is making.

 

“I… don’t remember.” She says faintly. “I mean, I know who I am and where I come from, but I have no idea how I ended up here, or what my Ultimate talent is. I’m sure I have one, but…” she sighs, shakes her head. “It sounds totally unbelievable, I know. How could I forget my own talent? More likely I’m just trying to hide it from you. But I promise, I-”

 

Before she can continue, and before I can reassure her that I have no reason to doubt what she’s saying, somebody else cuts into the conversation. “I think it’s perfectly believable.” The guy who steps up to us has a low voice, but it’s not so low that I’d place him any lower than a baritone, if I had to be picky. He steps into the conversation as though it’s just an everyday thing for him. And I’ve never met him before, so for all I know… it might be. “I don’t even remember the last mission I was on before coming here. Maybe something just went wrong when your memory was being wiped, and they took more than they meant to.”

 

“Wiped?” Takako pales. “That- that’s not possible, don’t…”

 

“Oh, I don’t know about that.” The guy grins, and I can’t help noting that he seems pretty charming, if a little dry. “There are ways that people can get into your brain without permission, and really screw things up in there. I should know… the name’s Juro Sako, by the way. I’m the Ultimate Spy.” He looks at Sayuri, holds eye contact. “If anyone should feel inclined to hide their talent, it would definitely be me. So don’t worry about it. There’s no reason to distrust you.”

 

Juro Sako is my height, and I’m fairly certain that he’s mixed race, though he does have a Japanese name, and I can tell from his features that he’s at least half Japanese. His dark skin, though, and the curly volume of his black hair, suggest to me that he may be partly of African descent. His words, as well, are clipped in a manner that I’m not used to… I think he’s British. If anybody would be the Ultimate Spy, I’d definitely think him capable of it based on how he’s dressed; he wears a white button-down that is almost hidden beneath a navy blue suit jacket, with a black necktie tucked under. He wears black slacks and shoes that are both in pretty good condition. I’d think he’s a regular guy, except for the scar on the right side of his jaw that resembles a cross. It looks like something somebody would’ve put there on purpose.

 

But the light in Juro’s almond-brown eyes tells me that he’s not being severe. His tone is actually pretty light. And despite the questionable nature of his remark about our memories being wiped, he sounds friendly enough, and he only stepped into this conversation to reassure Sayuri on a whim, so I can respect that.

 

“Did you share your talent when you weren’t meaning to just to make a point?” Sayuri questions, looking unconvinced. Juro shakes his head.

 

“Oh, no, I wouldn’t have hidden it. You guys are Ultimates, I have nothing to hide from you.” He grins again, and I can’t help returning the expression. His smile is contagious. “I don’t tell a lot of people about my talent, obviously, but when I do, I always get a lot of raised eyebrows and questions as to whether I’m spying on somebody. As if I’d tell them when I was.”

 

“Yikes.” I scratch the back of my neck. “If it’s any consolation, when I was in California and I told a girl my talent, she started playing the Adventure Time theme on her ukulele and wouldn’t leave me alone until I sang with her.” It was embarrassing. I know English, but I’m not always confident enough to sing in it.

 

“Ohh!” Cringing in sympathy, Takako adds on. “You know, when I met my ex for the first time and I told him that I was the Ultimate Choreographer, he asked me if I could put together a Fortnite dance routine.”

 

Sayuri lets out a hiss from between her teeth, patting Takako on the shoulder. “Yikes. It’s good that he’s your ex.”

 

It doesn’t seem like the kind of thing I’d like to hear post-breakup, but Takako just nods, closing her eyes as though she pities herself. “Yeah, it was pretty bad. I still have the whole routine memorised, you know?”

 

“You actually choreographed it?” Juro gawks. “I would have denied that man so hard…”

 

“Oh, sure, but you seem to have this thing called self respect… at the time, I thought, ‘well, Fortnite dances aren’t _so_ bad…’” Takako sighs, shaking her head. “But that’s enough about my ex. Let’s talk business here.” She clears her throat. “Do you guys have any idea why we’re here? I mean, have you found anything that might be an indicator?”

 

After a moment of silence, both Sayuri and Juro shake their heads. “The only thing that I found,” Sayuri begins, rolling up her sleeve and pushing her glove off a little bit. “Is this.” And she shows her wrist to all of us. I almost can’t read the kanjis, but it looks as though somebody has written, in permanent marker, the name _‘Riku Kuramoto’_ , and perhaps something else, but the rest is smeared so bad that I can’t distinguish what it said. “Does this mean anything to you guys?”

 

“Riku Kuramoto is the son of the CEO of Kuramoto Cosmetics, but he’s just a salesman, I think.” I shrug. “I don’t know why his name would be written on your wrist, though. Do you remember writing it?”

 

With a weird look on her face, Sayuri traces her thumb over her wrist. “...no, I don’t.” She makes a face. “But it’s my handwriting, and it’s written on my non-dominant wrist, so… I don’t know. It makes sense that it was me, but I just don’t get why I would’ve written it, or why I can’t remember doing so.”

 

“Hey.” Juro reaches out, gently touches her shoulder. “Don’t worry. When we figure out who’s in charge here, we can ask all sorts of questions. I’m betting it’s that Monokuma guy.”

 

“Monokuma…” Recognition flashes across Takako’s features. “You mean the guy who wrote that note!”

 

“Yeah, that’s right, the one saying to go to the gym.” Juro agrees. “I think it’s pretty suspicious, but we should still-”

 

“How were you able to see that? It’s in the girl’s bathroom!” Takako exclaims, indignation spreading over her expression. Juro raises his eyebrows, like he doesn’t see what the problem is.

 

“What? I’m exploring everything. It’s important to be able to take stock of every aspect of a weird situation. I’m not going to let those kinds of things keep me from seeing every angle of this building. Who knows? I wouldn’t have found that note if I hadn’t gone in there.” Juro shrugs. “Besides, the bathroom was empty. I made triple sure.”

 

Takako narrows her eyes. “Okay, I’ll take your word for it, but you’re on thin fucking ice.”

 

“Oh, of course.”

 

As much as this interaction is amusing to me, I’m… more interested by the doors that are a little ways away. It’s definitely an exit, but I’m not sure that it won’t be locked, or blocked off, like most of the other doors here have. I don’t see a reason for us to just be let out, if someone went through all the trouble to lock us in here. Still, I have to check. As politely as I can, I disengage from the conversation and walk over to the door, stopping in front of it. I rest my hand on the knob. It turns in my palm, which tells me it’s unlocked, and while I’m not sure if I can trust it, I… I should definitely open it.

 

“Hey, Taro, wait up.” Takako jogs over and stops beside me, putting a hand on the door. “Are you sure it’s safe to just open the door?”

 

“Hm? What do you mean?”

 

“Well, I don’t want to bring it up because it’s kind of silly,” her face flushes a little. “But what if it’s like, rigged to explode when you open it, or something? Or the outside is super toxic? I mean, I know everything here _seems_ safe, but why take us here if they’re just gonna let us escape?”

 

I drop my hand from the doorknob, considering it. “You know, you’re right.” I say, humming. As I speak, I take a step back from the door. “I don’t think there’s a chance that we’ll just be allowed to leave. And not being able to see the outside from the windows? Even the sky in that atrium felt off…” it’s obvious to me that something is going on, here, but I can’t judge the severity yet…

 

“Still.” Sayuri steps forward and walks right up to the door, grabbing the knob. “It’s probably not a way out, but if it _is_ and we decide not to use it because it might be dangerous out there, then we’re being stupid.” She looks back at me, pushing her glasses up her nose with her index finger. “You agree, right?”

 

I suppose I do… but still, I can’t shake the feeling that something is off.

 

“How about this?” Juro undoes his tie and pulls it off his collar, straightening it out so that it functions more as a rope than a scarf. He moves forward and Sayuri steps away from the door, as if sensing his intentions. Carefully, he ties the tie into a square knot around the knob and pulls it so that the knob turns. I’m pretty sure it’s not going to do much more than just slide against the metal, but the knob really does turn. It must have something to do with the material that Juro’s tie is made of. “I’ll pull the knob so that I can open it and then just kick the door open. That way, if something blows up out there, none of us will be in the blast zone.” Except maybe his foot, but the smile Juro is wearing tells me that he’s not worried about that possibility.

 

“Yeah, okay.” Takako nods, but she puts a hand on my upper arm anyway, as if she’s still worried. “That’s a good solution, I think.” I can tell that she’s apprehensive, but also flattered that he’s taking her concerns seriously. She doesn’t say anything else.

 

Without much else to be addressed, Juro gestures for Sayuri to move a little further from the door (which she does without comment) and pulls the tie taut before drawing back his leg and kicking the door open. He catches the wood with his heel and though it makes a loud noise when his shoe connects with the door, it opens without a problem. His knot comes undone and the tie ends up hanging in his hand as the door slams into the wall outside with the momentum from the kick.

 

“Oh, wow.” From outside, a girl sticks her head into the foyer, grinning. “I don’t know what just happened, but I’m glad I’m the Ultimate Runner, ‘cause otherwise, I don’t think I would’ve been able to avoid that door.” She has a hand resting on the other door, and for a moment she’s just leaning forward to speak to us, but then she steps inside fully and I get a better look at her.

 

The girl who just stepped inside looks to be pretty fit, which makes sense for somebody called the Ultimate Runner. Her brown hair is styled into two pigtails, which sway as she moves her head. Her eyes are a dusty brown, and her skin is darker than mine- though I suspect it has more to do with time in the sun than genetics, because she’s definitely lighter than Juro. She has a bandaid on her left cheek and on her right a collection of beauty marks that I might confuse for freckles if they weren’t so prominent, or only on one side. She’s wearing a letterman jacket, but she hasn’t put her arms through the sleeves, so instead it’s draped over her shoulders like a cape. There is an interesting insignia where the letter would be on her jacket; it appears to be an arrow of sorts, poking through a crescent moon. Underneath her jacket she has a white t-shirt and neon green shorts, as well as track shoes, and another bandaid on her knee.

 

So maybe being the Ultimate Runner doesn’t _always_ help her avoid getting injured, if she’s already wearing a couple bandaids. It’s worth noting as well that she appears to be wearing fingerless gloves- actually, just one, on her right hand. Her other hand is bare. An interesting choice, to be sure, but I think it adds to the aesthetic she’s got going, so it’s not really a bad thing.

 

“Sorry about that,” Juro apologises, stepping forward. “I kicked the door open in case there was something dangerous waiting on the other side of it.”  


“You might not be wrong yet!” The girl announces, then shakes her head, like she’s kidding. “I’m Kaoru, by the way. Ukon.”

 

“Wait.” Takako blinks. “Ukon, as in, the Kabuki actor…?”

 

Kaoru huffs. “Everyone always asks that, and no, there’s no relation! I just happen to be named Kaoru Ukon! Jeez…” she puffs out her cheeks, like she’s exasperated, and I find myself flashing Takako a knowing smile as she raises her eyebrows almost imperceptibly.

 

“Sorry,” she apologises. “I’m Takako Miyake, Ultimate Choreographer.” Kaoru’s eyes widen at this, and she looks at the four of us, as though she’s trying to figure something out.

 

“You’re… you guys are Ultimates too?”

 

“Yeah.” Sayuri nods. “I think that’s true of everybody here, though I haven’t met too many people yet. Just these guys, and a girl named Mari. I’m Sayuri Gui, by the way. I’ve forgotten my talent, probably temporarily, but I _am_ an Ultimate.” She says it with such determination, I have no idea how anybody could doubt her. Thankfully, Kaoru just nods.

 

“I forget things all the time, don’t worry. I forget my own age sometimes!” She chuckles. “I’m always way too focused on running to think about things like that, though, so maybe I’m just too obsessed to forget. You’ll remember soon enough!” She says it like it’s a fact, and Sayuri doesn’t say anything, but I can tell that she feels reassured by Kaoru’s confidence.

 

“I’m Juro Sako. The Ultimate Spy. But, I’m not on a mission now, or anything, so you can trust me.” Juro speaks up, offering a handshake, which Kaoru accepts, with maybe a bit too much enthusiasm.

 

I realise that I’m the only person who not only hasn’t introduced myself yet, but also hasn’t spoken in this conversation in general. I guess I do that a lot, slip into an observer’s role in most interactions. I just like listening, is all, but… “Rantaro Amami,” I say, waving. “I’m the Ultimate Adventurer.”

 

“Huh! That’s a fun talent, I like it!” Kaoru comments brightly. It’s definitely a positive response, and I’d take that over shock or disbelief any day, so I find myself growing a little bit more fond of Kaoru when she says it. Not that I’ve actually disliked anyone here… honestly, I can see myself being friends with pretty much everybody I’ve met so far. The only person who I’m a little iffy on is Kayoko, and I think she’s just a little overzealous, and I could see us getting along if she calms down a bit on the men-hating. (I get where she’s coming from, though.)

 

“So you haven’t met anyone else yet, right?” Sayuri guesses. “That’s why you were surprised that we’re Ultimates.”

 

“That’s right! I woke up outside, in the garden, which was cool, but there’s nobody else out there… at least, not that I could tell. I’m not always the most observant.” She’s pretty honest… I can admire that in a person. She seems comfortable with her shortcomings, too, which is nice.

 

“From what I’ve seen so far,” I begin. “There are probably sixteen people here. So far,” I look over at Takako. “We’ve met Keiji, Kayoko, Yuuto, you three,” my gaze flickers over to Kaoru, Juro, and Sayuri. “And I met a girl named Emiko when I checked the kitchen.” I count up in my head. “If you count Takako in me, then that makes nine. So there are seven people we haven’t met yet, between the two of us.”

 

“What’s Emiko’s talent?” Takako inquires.

 

“Pacifist,” I supply, smiling at the memory of her commentary on the talent. “She had a lot to say about it.”

 

“As any good pacifist would.” Juro says this in a far more solemn way than is necessary. “I’ve met a couple people myself…” he closes his eyes, as though thinking. “Hare Aoyama, a cartographer, Umi Fuji, a DJ, and Tsumugi Shirogane, a… cosplayer?” His brow furrows. “I think that means she does costumes?”

 

“Specifically in relation to fictional characters, but yes.” I clarify. “So, that’s twelve people accounted for… Sayuri, what about you? You said you met a girl named Mari, right?”

 

“Mhm.” She nods. “Ultimate Sailor, if I remember correctly.” Sayuri whistles low. “She swears like one, too.”  


“Awh.” Takako pouts. “You’ve just reminded me that I can’t whistle, thanks, Sayuri.”

 

“Would you like me to teach you?” Sayuri tilts her head to the side, eyes wide. “It’s not so difficult to do, once you figure out how… but I guess that’s the hard part, huh?” She smiles sheepishly. “I’d be glad to go over the basics with you once we get out of here… though I’m afraid it’ll be a bit anticlimactic. I can’t imagine anything particularly interesting about learning how to whistle.”

 

“I’d love that, actually!” Takako beams as she says this, standing up straighter.

 

“Anyway, Kaoru.” Juro looks at the girl in question, who is bouncing a little with her excess energy. “When you’re feeling like you’ve explored this place enough, you should head to the gym. We found a note that said to head there.”

 

“Roger that!” She does a two-fingered salute. “I’ll just head over there right now. I don’t have much of a reason to look around because I don’t intend to stay here very long, and if I’m early, I’ll just run some laps! It is a gym, after all! Do you guys know where it is?”

 

“Uh, I know a way there from here, I think, but-” I start, but Juro interrupts, perhaps unintentionally. I don’t hold it against him.

 

“I do, I can show you. I might as well just head there now myself. I’ve already looked around everywhere that I can that isn’t outside, and I’ll meet the people who I haven’t yet when we all get to the gym.” He looks towards Takako and me, nodding slightly. “See you later, yeah?”

 

“Of course!” Takako nods enthusiastically. “Even if there’s a way out through this door, which I think is pretty unlikely, we’ll still go to the gym, ‘cause we said we would. It’s pretty important that everybody gets out, not just us.”

 

“Yeah, for sure.” I agree, putting my hands on my hips and closing my eyes. “It would be pretty lousy of us if we just booked it without at least telling you guys that there’s a way to get out of here. Also, I think I wanna look around this place a bit more after checking outside…” It’s probably just the fact that I’m the Ultimate Adventurer speaking, but of course I wanna see this place more extensively. I have priorities, of course, and I can’t waste any time, but if I’m already here, I might as well check the place out. I’m obviously not going to make any more progress on finding my sisters today, so…

 

“I’ll go with you two.” Sayuri addresses Takako and me when she says this, but looks to Juro. “Take care,” she says, and her voice is rather soft, which I find interesting because they’ve only known each other for about fifteen minutes. I guess it’s just…? Hormones? I really don’t get it.

 

“You too.” Juro says this with a smile, then gestures for Kaoru to follow him as he starts down the hall. She keeps pace rather well- in fact, she has to correct her pace a couple times so that she’s actually walking beside him and watching his cues, rather than just walking ahead of him, which it makes sense that she’d be prone to doing, as the Ultimate Runner.

 

When the two of them disappear around the corner, I focus on Takako and Sayuri. “I think we’ve established that the outside is at least safe.” I remark. “So we can probably just walk out there.”

 

“Right!” As Takako says this, she touches my shoulder. “You can go first, Rantaro!”

 

“Huh? Why me?”  


“Yeah, Takako’s right. You should go first.” Sayuri agrees. “You’re the Adventurer, you know? This is your area of expertise.”

 

Okay, but we’re just talking about walking through a door! When you volunteer me like that, it sounds like you’re sending me off to die! Still, I relent, nodding and accepting that this is my fate. My sisters used to pull this kind of stunt on me all the time, so I guess it’s alright. I don’t feel particularly nervous walking out, but for the sake of things, I take a breath as I cross the threshold between the building, and the outside.

 

As soon as I’m out there, though, I feel the air leaving my lungs. The sky, it’s…

 

“Wow.” I hear Takako’s voice behind me, and then Sayuri’s after hers.

 

“Is that…?”

 

“A dome?” I finish, breathless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I mean I'm sure anybody who's played or watched v3 knew this was coming qwq
> 
> eeee Juro best boy, this is my best boy right here
> 
> *gestures wildly* look at best boy, LOOK AT HIm
> 
> ahem, moving on
> 
> hope y'all enjoyed this chapter, maybe I'll get out an update tomorrow and manage to finish with all the character intros by the end of this week??
> 
> comments. good. we stand them


	4. Prologue [4]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rantaro meets Mari Nakahara and Asahi Sonada, and Sayuri does what she does best?

Above our heads, there appears to be a wide expanse of clear blue sky. That’s what I thought I saw in the atrium. But that clear blue must be a projection or something, because across the sky is a large dome, high above our heads. I can only tell that it’s there because of the thin lines that are all over, marking it where it curves and dips down to the ground. I can only assume that somewhere along the perimeter of this space, the dome connects with the ground. But I can’t see that point.

 

Once I get over my surprise, I note that Kaoru was right in saying that there was a garden. There’s a thin gravel path leading from the building that Sayuri, Takako, and I have just exited to a building that I can’t identify, but on my right, there is a large plot of land that I think is the garden. Well, it’s not a very good observation on my part. Next to the twine arch that marks the entrance, there’s a small wooden sign that says “Monokuma’s Garden!” with a bunch of strange characters and smiley faces scribbled on, as well as a crude illustration of a brown haired boy with a singular cowlick giving a thumbs up, as though to give his approval to the garden.

 

I glance to my left, attempting to take in my surroundings before I start trying to figure out what’s going on here. There is a large gazebo there, with a bunch of tables and comfortable looking chairs. I count four tables and four chairs at each table. That makes sixteen. Underneath the gazebo as well there is a piano.

 

“Oh,” Takako follows my gaze. Her voice sounds hoarse, perhaps with shock, but she touches my arm and smiles. “I can play the piano, you know. I mean, you wouldn’t. That’s why I’m telling you.” She huffs out a sigh and her cheeks flush slightly. “Anyway. You kind of have to know at least the basics when you work with music in any capacity. I’m not Mozart or anything, but I can do a couple songs.”

 

“I know the left hand for Chopsticks,” I offer. “But that’s about the extent of my knowledge.”

 

“Hey… guys. Priorities.” Sayuri reminds us gently, pointing up at the thing that should really be holding our attention right now. (Obviously, she’s right that we should be focusing on the dorm, but it’s nice to be able to distract myself briefly.) “Do you think there are any chances of there being an opening in the dome?”

 

“No.” I say honestly. “I can’t see a reason for the dome to be here in the first place if there was a door for us to just walk out again.” No wonder the door to the building was unguarded; that wasn’t the extent of our situation! The real thing we have to figure out how to get out of is this dome. I lick my finger and hold it up in the air, feeling the passive breeze that brushes against it. It sure feels like we’re outside… and there’s a lot of plant-life around, too, aside from the garden. Behind me, the sun is still shining high in the sky. I’d say it’s just past noon, for it to be in that position. How is this possible…?

 

“We should still look.” A crease appears between Takako’s forehead when she frowns. “We have to take inventory of every aspect of this situation, right? And figuring out if there’s even a way out of here feels like a good first step.”

 

Sayuri nods. “You’re right about that. But that may not be a good idea right now… the grounds here are huge. It would take hours to search every part of the dome for openings, even with all three of us, and success still isn’t guaranteed. Let’s hold off on that until we know the situation.”   
  


“Good idea.” I agree, but pause, crossing my arms. “Then what should we do now? We should still investigate out here, right? There might be something important that we could find out here.”

 

“Yeah… hold on.” Sayuri takes a couple steps forward, then bends down and scoops up a rock from the path. She tosses it up and down a few times, then inhales, jogging backwards and away from the building we just exited with the rock still in her hand. I exchange a baffled look with Takako but neither of us are sure what she’s doing. She pushes her glasses up on her nose a lot harder than is necessary and drops down into a squat, peering up at something. Perhaps the roof of the building. Slowly, methodically, she adjusts her position and steps off the path, onto the floor of the gazebo. Then she nods to herself, slipping the rock into her pocket. “Hey, Rantaro, come over here and give me a boost.”

 

“Huh? Oh.” I think she wants to climb up onto the roof of the gazebo. I walk over and stop next to her, wondering how I should go about this. “Um… is it alright if I…?” I gesture at her waist, and she nods, rolling her eyes as though she doesn’t think it’s a big deal. So gently, I place a hand on Sayuri’s waist, and with my other I scoop up her legs so that I’m sort of carrying her bridal style. She braces herself on my shoulder and starts pushing herself up, holding onto one of the poles that holds up the roof of the gazebo for balance. When she wobbles in my hands, I adjust my position, moving my hand so that I’m supporting her feet rather than her legs. Sayuri grabs onto my other hand, the one that was just on her waist, as she maneuvers herself to be squatting on my forearm and holding onto the gazebo, rather than resting in my arms.

 

It hurts, of course, because I’m not too strong, but she’s only standing on my arm for a second, before she’s grabbing onto the roof of the gazebo and hoisting herself up. I try to help, but she’s definitely doing most of the work in pulling herself up there. I have to admire the upper body strength that it must take. Eventually I just step back and watch her progress, my arms outstretched in a lame attempt to spot her, in the case that she should fall. But no such thing happens. Sayuri pulls herself onto the roof and takes a moment to breathe before getting to her feet.

 

I back up even more, accidentally bumping into Takako, who apologises for standing where she was. I apologise too, because of course I wasn’t looking where I was going, but my eyes are glued to Sayuri, who is now standing straight on the roof of the gazebo. Her eyes are narrowed and the wind catches her hair, slightly, making her look a bit like the heroine in some action movie. I can’t help smiling to myself, even as I’m trying to figure out what she’s aiming to do right now. Finally, she grins, and shuffles a little bit to her right on the roof, adjusting her glasses again and brushing hair out of her face. After a moment she seems to decide that it’s too much of a hassle to deal with her hair blowing all over the place like it is, so she takes a rubber band from her wrist and uses it to tie back her hair into a ponytail.

 

Then, without much more hesitation, she takes the rock from her pocket, angles her body, and throws the rock as hard as she can at the roof of the other building.

 

Since she’s standing pretty much adjacent to the main building, she shouldn’t have much difficulty hitting it, but what happens is even more incredible. It catches on the roof of the building at an odd angle and surprisingly bounces off, soaring through the air until, with a loud bang, the rock flies into the dome.

 

It doesn’t crack or break or anything like that, but the sound reverberates through the courtyard. My eyes widen in surprise; was that her aim? To hit the dome? I glance at Sayuri and note from the triumphant expression on her face that this was exactly what she was trying to do. Maybe not break the dome, since I don’t think that would be possible with such a small rock, but hit it, definitely. Imagine how powerful she’d be with a baseball… oh, maybe that’s the talent she forgot? Baseball player? But somehow, the precision of that throw to me feels less like the work of a baseball player. She had to have calculated the angle she’d need to throw the rock at in order to achieve her goal, just now, and I don’t think that’s in a pitcher’s field of expertise.

 

Still, before I can say anything, or ask her a question, somebody else speaks behind me.

 

“Damn… that barrier really is super thick, isn’t it?” It’s definitely a girl’s voice, though more rough than any of the girls or even guys I’ve spoken to so far. I turn around and meet a pair of rose gold eyes, and raise my eyebrows. The girl who’s just spoken is only an inch shorter than me, it seems. Her hair is silver, and incredibly long. Out of a style, I think it might reach her knees, but at the moment she’s tied it into a ponytail on the left side of her head. Though two shorter pieces of hair have escaped the style. She’s pretty, and her style is becoming; she’s dressed in a navy blue sailor-style school uniform. Over grey tights she has black slippers that remind me of ballet shoes and a knife strapped to her left thigh. Since she’s wearing a crop-top, I can see a little bit of a tattoo of an anchor poking out from her clothes on her stomach. Aside from the slightly impish grin on her face and the lollipop stick poking out of her mouth, the thing about her that sticks out the most to me is the long burn scar on her face, that goes from beneath her left eye to the lower part of her right cheek.

 

“Oh, Mari!” Sayuri calls from the roof of the gazebo, leaning forward in a scarily precarious way. “I thought you were headed to the dining hall!”

 

“Yeah, I did go to the dining hall.” The silver-haired girl, whose name I can surmise is Mari (the Ultimate Sailor, I think) shrugs, closing her eyes. “I met this girl named Emiko. She was nice. She told me to go to the gym. And hell, I was gonna, but I saw the door open and came out just as your rock hit the dome.” She rubs her chin, looking over in the direction that the rock was thrown with a thoughtful expression on her face. “But yeah. That sounded like the thud of something really fuckin’ thick. When I’m sailing a vessel with a hull that’s hollow, the sound is a lot deeper and has a lot more of an echo. Like, that had an echo, but it wasn’t the same.” Her eyes fall on Takako and me, as if just realising that we’re here. “Oh, hey, are you guys Ultimates too?”

 

“Mhm.” Takako nods. “I think we all are, here!” She introduces herself, and her Ultimate talent, and I follow suit, offering Mari a smile.

 

She returns it, though I feel like it’s a little different on her face. “I’m Mari Nakahara, the Ultimate Sailor!” She says, with a lot of power behind her words. “And I have no fucking clue why I’m here! I’m pretty sure last I remember, I was on a boat.”

 

Takako’s eyes widen. “You remember what you were doing before this?” She exclaims.

 

“Nah, not really. Shit, if I’d known it was important, I would’ve been keeping track.” She… really is swearing a lot. “I just don’t remember going on land, you know, so I must have been on a boat! I don’t live on land with the rest of you fuckers!”

 

I assume she grew up with people who sail a lot, then, but… “Then, how did the Ultimate Foundation find out about you?” I frown. They’re incredibly for a non-profit organisation, and I know they have tons of resources from both the government and their sponsors, but still, they can’t just find somebody who lives in the middle of the ocean!

 

“I was in Tokyo for a brief period of time and I guess they noticed my skills.” Mari shrugs, not seeming to care much. “I’m already getting pretty antsy about being here, you know…? It’s annoying, I gotta get back on the water as soon as we get out of here.”

 

Sayuri crawls to the edge of the roof and sits down, her legs dangling off. “Yeah, we’re trying to figure out the ‘getting out of here part’ right now. We don’t think there’s going to be an opening in the dome anywhere, which means that there’s probably somebody keeping us here, for some reason. It’s weird.” She sighs, shaking her head, and her ponytail continues to swing back and forth when she stops. “I can’t wrap my mind around it. What possible motivation could someone have for kidnapping a bunch of Ultimates and sticking us here…?”

 

I don’t give a verbal response, but I do jog over to where she’s sitting and extend a hand to help her down. With the assistance of one of the support poles, Sayuri manages to leap off the roof and into my arms without too much difficulty. Once I’m sure she’s secure, I put her back down on her feet, and she grins at me, dusting herself off.

 

“Thanks, Rantaro. You know, you act a lot like an older brother.”

 

_ Oh.  _ “Really?” I laugh slightly, rubbing the back of my neck. “Well, I hope that’s a good thing.” The tone she used to say it to me was complimentary, so I have high hopes. But even if she didn’t mean it as a compliment, I think I’d still be flattered anyway. Those kind of comments carry a lot of weight to me.

 

“We should look around.” Takako steps up to us, gesturing at the garden. “Even if there’s nothing in there to help us escape, there might be some clues about our situation.” I nod, then look to Sayuri as she speaks.

 

“I’m gonna check out that building over there.” She takes her hair out of the ponytail and it tumbles over her shoulders, virtually undisturbed by the earlier style. Then she points across the gravel path to the tall building that stands at the end. It’s at least four stories tall. I think the roof of that building almost reaches up to the dome. It’s primarily a dark shade of grey, but there are fine details here and there that are painted black. There’s an elegant feel to it, though it’s hard for me to place why it’s giving me a nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach. I swallow, wondering if it’s a good idea for Sayuri to explore there alone, but before I can say anything-

 

“I’ll tag along,” Mari offers, looking at Sayuri with a sudden serious expression on her face. “That place is fucking scary and I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you…”

 

“Good plan.” Takako flashes a thumbs up. “We should meet back up again at the gym and let each other know our findings! Do you guys know where it is?”

 

Sayuri nods. “I have a general idea. And I’ll figure it out, if not. You two go on ahead.” She gestures at the garden. “Stay safe.”

 

I’m not sure when we decided that our situation is  _ dangerous.  _ It must have been the appearance of that dome… gave everybody the impression that we shouldn’t be here, that what’s going on here isn’t something that we want to be involved in. Still, I can’t waste my energy worrying about it. I’m going to find a way out. No use dwelling on things that can’t be fixed. I take a deep breath and relax my shoulders before following Takako into the garden.

 

Immediately I’m aware of all the vines that are growing in everywhere in here. But on second glance, I note that they’re not just any vines, like the ones growing in the main building. I think they’re grape vines. I can tell that Takako is thinking the same thing, because she leans down and plucks one of the small fruits from the vine and pops it into her mouth. My eyes widen, because it might not be entirely safe, but she just makes a face upon chewing.

 

“Ugh, it’s not ripe yet. Don’t eat them, Taro, they’re way too sour.” She shakes her head, as though attempting to erase the flavour from her mouth, which makes me chuckle slightly because there’s no way that that’s going to have the intended effect. “But definitely a grape.” She adds, glancing over at me. I bend down and pick my own, more out of curiosity than much else, and eat it myself. The moment that I bite into it with my back teeth, a remarkably bitter taste perforates my mouth, and I am filled with regret. From Takako’s laugh, I can guess that I’m probably making a face that says as much.

 

“I don’t even know what I was expecting,” I complain, scrubbing my tongue with one hand. “I can’t stand unripe fruit.”

 

Takako laughs again, shaking her head. “I warned you.” And to be fair, she did. I’m considering turning on the hose that I see nearby and rinsing out my mouth, but before I can act on it, somebody steps out from further into the garden and holds out a hand.

 

“Here, the blackberries are ripe.” The guy who just stepped out has an absurdly low voice for somebody who I assume is a teenager, just like the rest of us. His dirty blonde hair is long, and tied into a low ponytail. A lock has escaped the style in the form of a cowlick, sticking up in the center of his head. He’s tall, and sports a tan similar to Kaoru’s, though I’d say that his skin is a little paler than hers. His eyes are a silverish-grey colour, almost reflective in the sunlight, and he dresses in a green sweater vest over a white button down. He’s wearing a large, dark green jacket over those. His pants are brown and noticeably reach his ankles, which is startling to me, because he is remarkably large in physique. He’s easily the tallest person I’ve met here thus far, towering over me, and he’s also fairly broad, though I think it’s probably all muscle, because proportionally he seems to be in shape. He also has a white crystal hanging around his neck on a leather chain. One of his large hands is stretched out in front of him, and a bunch of black fruits are piled in his palm. “You should wash out the taste of the grapes with them.”

 

He seems friendly enough, so I smile and reach out, accepting a couple. “Thanks.” I respond. “Have you been in here for a while?”

 

“I woke up underneath some blackberry bushes over there.” He points over his shoulder as I bite into one of the blackberries I took. Its sweet taste almost completely erases the taste of the unripe grape from my tongue. “But I didn’t get up in time to catch that other girl as she ran out. She was way too fast for me.” He chuckles, and I can only assume that he’s talking about Kaoru.

 

Leaning against my arm, Takako smiles and extends a hand. “Well, then, we should probably get intros out of the way! I think everyone here is an Ultimate. I’m Takako Miyake, Ultimate Choreographer.” The guy reaches out and accepts Takako’s handshake.

 

“Rantaro Amami,” I add, smiling again. “The Ultimate Adventurer.”   
  


“Wow… I’ve met a couple Ultimates before, actually, but never in this capacity.” He clears his throat. “I’m Asahi Sonada. My Ultimate talent is a little weird, but… I’m the Ultimate Older Brother. It’s good to meet you.”

 

“Ultimate Older Brother?” Takako repeats. I feel my eyes widen a little and I give Asahi another onceover. He does give off a sort of… big brotherly vibe. But something about that name is familiar to me, I-

 

“Ah! You’re the one who sued the foster care system to get your brothers and sisters back.” I blurt, then break off when Takako and Asahi look at me incredulously. “I mean… I read about you in the news.” I did more than just read about him. I’ve sort of looked up to the guy, in years past… it’s the kind of thing that I aspire to do with my own little sisters. But I’m not about to bring that up now. Nobody needs to hear about my problems.

 

Asahi smiles, though, like he’s flattered. “I’m surprised you’ve heard of me. That case is old news.” Not for me, it isn’t. I find myself looking at the guy with a newfound respect. “At any rate, do you two know anything about our situation? Who else is here?”

 

“Sixteen other people, we think. That’s what all the evidence has pointed to.” Takako begins to explain the things that we’ve seen so far, even pointing out details that I haven’t noticed. I guess you have to be super observant as the Ultimate Choreographer… Yuuto Oyama isn’t the only person here who pays attention to the smaller details. “So far we’ve met, uhm…” she trails off, as though counting in her head. I try to do the same… not including us, there’s been Keiji, Kayoko, Yuuto, Emiko, Sayuri, Juro, Kaoru, Mari, and finally, Asahi. Plus, Juro reported that he’d met three people… I remember being impressed that he had their full names and talents off the top of his head, but I don’t recall… well, I know there was an Ultimate Cosplayer, but I mostly retained that information because I was amused to hear that he doesn’t really know what cosplay is. “Fourteen of us are accounted for, I think.” She concludes.

 

“So there are two more people that you two haven’t met yet?” Asahi asks, and I shake my head.

 

“No, there are three people who Juro met. Erm, Juro is the Ultimate Spy. And don’t worry about the title- I’m pretty sure we can trust him.”

 

“Well, that’s what a spy would want you to think.” Asahi jokes, then shakes his head. “No, I’m kidding. I’m sure everyone here is trustworthy.” I chuckle anyway.

 

“He mentioned a cartographer, and a DJ, and somebody else…” Takako trails off, and I’m glad she remembered the cartographer and the DJ, because those were the talents that I hadn’t remembered. I go ahead and share that the other person he met was the Ultimate Cosplayer. Asahi seems to absorb this information, nodding slowly when the two of us have fallen silent.

 

“A formidable group of people, to be sure… I wonder why somebody would bring us here…” he frowns, then suddenly his expression brightens again, returning to that relaxed smile he wore earlier. “Oh well, I’m sure we’ll figure that one out in due time. You said to go to the gym after we’re all done looking around, right, Takako?” She nods. “Then I think I’m going to go and try to do that so I don’t hold everybody up. You two got a gameplan?”

 

I shrug. “Look around this garden a little bit more, then maybe check back in with Sayuri and Mari- two other Ultimates- and hopefully meet the other two that haven’t been accounted for yet so we can all head to the gym. Preferably check out other parts of the main building, too… I think I saw a staircase in the foyer, we were just too concerned with the exit that we didn’t have time to check it.” I glance at Takako, who hums her agreement.

 

“Stay safe, Asahi. We’ll see you in the gym later.” She smiles, and waves, which I do as well.

 

“Same to you guys.” Asahi claps me on the shoulder as he passes and offers Takako a smile, then he’s gone.

 

There’s a moment of silence.

 

“Are you sure you’re ace?” Takako asks, all of a sudden, raising an eyebrow at me. I sputter.

 

“What? Yeah, of course, I- what makes you-?” She raises both her eyebrows now, and I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Oh my god… no, Takako, I don’t- no!” I feel my face heating up anyway. “I just admire people who can be good older siblings, that’s all.”

 

She nods, but laughs a little bit at my expense regardless. “I’m kidding, you know yourself. But you were totally checking him out.”

 

“Aesthetic attraction is different from sexual attraction!” I exclaim, and Takako laughs harder, dragging me towards the back of the garden.

 

“C’mon, let’s check out this garden shed and then go talk to Sayuri and Mari. Maybe they found something in that building.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fdsjbfhsb
> 
> anyway how y'all doin
> 
> I meant for this to be out last Thursday but yo canoeing is extremely time consuming and then there were just. other ficlets to be written. I'm absolutely shameless
> 
> expect the last few character intros to come in the next couple days, and then we can really get the ball rollin'!
> 
> hope you enjoyed ;)))
> 
> comments are nice


	5. Prologue [5]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rantaro and Takako explore the garden, and start on the basement. Also, he meets Taku Kikuchi and Yuuki Watanabayashi.

The shed is pretty anticlimactic. Aside from a couple pairs of garden shears, several shovels, and a number of other gardening tools that I can’t identify, there’s nothing of interest in there. It smells musty, too, and even just standing in the doorway is enough to give me a weird crawling feeling in my throat (a side effect of having claustrophobia) so we leave pretty quickly after ascertaining that there isn’t much to see.

 

As Takako and I tread lightly across the gravel path to the other building, I find myself examining my surroundings. The dome definitely encompasses the entire grounds here, which means that the place is probably round. There’s a lot of empty space off the path and around the garden, patio, and two buildings. Green grass is all over the place. Every piece of the ground aside from the path is grassy, and I can see the dew catching the sunlight and shining bright. There are a couple trees, deciduous by the look of them, but otherwise there’s just a lot of room. I wonder if that’s intentional.

 

Upon arriving in front of the other building, I walk up to the doors and peer down at the doorknobs. They are both entirely clean, which would suggest that they haven’t yet been touched by a human hand, but then I remember that Sayuri is wearing gloves, so that probably wouldn’t make much of a difference. Takako appears next to me and leans down, following my gaze.

 

Takako points. “Look, there’s chalk dust on here. Do you think it’s from Sayuri’s gloves?” It’s an interesting conclusion to come to from the evidence provided, but she’s right; there’s a light blue chalk dusting the knob on the right. I rub my chin in thought.

 

“Did she have chalk on her gloves?” I ask, glancing at Takako, who shrugs.

 

“Potentially… I can’t think of a reason why Mari might have chalk on her hands, so…” she trails off, and I can’t help wondering why she’d think that of _Sayuri,_ because from what I remember, her white gloves were pretty clean, but I also have no reason to doubt Takako’s reasoning.

 

“The door is locked.” Sayuri’s voice says, and the both of us turn in time to see her walk around from the other side of the building. “I went around to the other side to see if there was another entrance, but I couldn’t find one. I guess this building isn’t accessible for the moment.” She shrugs, as though it’s not a big deal, and though I’m definitely curious about what lies behind this door, I suppose it isn’t. I certainly don’t have time to waste trying to bust down every locked door I come across.

 

“I offered to kick it down.” Mari pokes her head from around the corner, pouting. “But Sayuri vetoed the idea. I could totally do it, you know! It takes a lot of muscle to sail a vessel! I’m no pussy!”

 

Yikes. Sayuri pinches the bridge of her nose. “I don’t think that you are, Mari, it’s just that we don’t want to be arrested for property damages…”

 

“I think the authorities would be more concerned with the fact that we were fuckin’ kidnapped, but alright.” Mari mutters, crossing her arms like she’s disappointed. I can’t tell if she’s being genuine or not, which is a little bit off putting, I’m not going to lie. It seems like she really wanted to kick down that door… well, everybody has their passions, I guess.

 

“Unless we’re here by choice and we just don’t remember,” Takako offers, but even as she says it, I can tell she doesn’t really believe it. And I don’t blame her. The more we learn about this situation, the more unlikely it seems that we would’ve chosen to come here. I would’ve been inclined to be more open-minded about it, if it weren’t for the fact that Sayuri doesn’t remember her talent, but… “Then we’ll be in huge trouble for damaging the property of people who we agreed could take us here!”

 

Mari rolls her eyes and verbalises my thoughts: “As if Sayuri would agree to get her goddamn memories wiped. That’s scary as shit, yo. I can’t even imagine forgetting my talent.” She shakes her head. “But I guess you wouldn’t have been able to before, either, so… understandable, have a nice day.” She brushes herself off and starts in the direction of the main building. “Anyway, I’m gonna head back.”

 

“Oh- hold on, I’ll join you.” Sayuri jogs a little to catch up. “I might as well just go to the gym now.” She looks back at Takako and me. “You guys coming?”

 

I hesitate, looking over at Takako, who raises her eyebrows as though to ask me the same question. “Um… maybe back to the main building? I think there’s still plenty more that we’ve gotta see, but there doesn’t seem like there’s anything else for us to look at here.” She offers, gesturing at the building behind us. And for once, I actually disagree with her. There is probably plenty to see that everyone is turning their back on… I just don’t like the ambience of this building. It’s suspicious. I think it would be a really good idea to poke around a lot and make sure that it’s safe.

 

But for the sake of saving time, and not invalidating Takako’s idea… I nod. “Sounds good.” So I swallow my concerns and follow the three girls back to the main building, listening to the crunching of the gravel beneath my feet rather than the sound of my thoughts, and their voices.

 

Takako and I head first to the stairs, finally parting ways with Sayuri and Mari. On the right there is a staircase going down, and on the left, one going up. I’d try to explore both, but it seems that the stairs going up are chained off, for some reason. Just to test, I reach out and shake the chain that has been looped across at the foot of the stairs. Sure enough, it seems pretty taut. I could probably climb over it and head upstairs, but that can wait. If we’re not supposed to be up there, maybe we should still look, but it might be in our best interests to stick to what we’re allowed to do, for the moment.

 

I step away from the chain and instead indicate towards the stairs going down. Without a word, Takako and I walk down and into what appears to be a basement, of sorts. It’s better lit, down here- there are lights in the ceiling casting an amber glow on everything. We step right away into what looks to be a sitting area. There are a number of couches, armchairs, rugs- even a couple sleeping bags piled up. To my right there is a pair of double doors with a book icon on them, and I would guess that that is in reference to a library. On my left, there is another pair of double doors, but they are unmarked, so I’m not sure what lies behind them. Directly in front of us there are another couple bathrooms. On the left there is a room labeled as a “game room” and on the right, a “movie room.” I can guess the purpose of these rooms, but I just… I don’t understand. These facilities almost seem like pleasant things to have. Under different circumstances, and if I wasn’t so busy with other aspects of my life, seeing these things might excite me. Now, though I’m just confused.

 

“...divide and conquer?” Takako suggests. “I’ll take the rooms on the left, since that’s the side the women’s room is on, and you can take the ones on the right. Is that okay?”

 

“Yeah.” I nod, smiling. “Sounds fine by me.”

 

“Okay.” She nods, almost to herself, as she steps over to the unmarked double doors on our left. “I’ll see you in a sec.”

 

“I’m looking forward to it.” I tell her, more to ease her nerves than anything else, before turning and pulling open the door to what I can only assume is the library. As soon as I step inside, I am greeted with the sound of a loud thud and what almost sounds like a squeak- though a moment later I recognise that that second noise probably came from a person.

 

I startle anyway, a little overwhelmed by how many books there are in here. There are large amounts of hardcover books, ranging from what look to be novels, encyclopedias, textbooks, biographies, and all sorts of other pieces of reading that I don’t even know how to put a name to. The scent of books is a little overpowering, and though it’s a large room, all the books that aren’t on shelves are cluttering the floor and making it seem pretty crowded in here, even though there’s only one other person.

  
Speaking of that other person… I look up, intending to apologise for surprising the guy, but he beats me to it. “I’m sorry, jeez, I didn’t even drop that book in shock. I just bumped into a shelf right as you opened the door and then the book fell from my hands but since you had just walked in, I… I’m bad at this.” The guy who’s in here is more like a kid, really. His rounded features should tell me as much, and he’s at least half a foot shorter than I am, but from his physique I can gather that he’s also probably around my age. Plus, his voice is lower than I’d imagine from someone who looks like him. His black hair is done in a bowl cut that just brushes against the space above his eyebrows, and he has a tiny cowlick on the top of his head. His eyes are large, round, and a pale pink, which is an unnatural shade, no doubt, but compliments his pale skin nicely. He has a pair of round glasses on his nose, similar to Sayuri’s, though his are clearer. He dresses plainly, in a purple-brown button down, black pinstriped pants, and a white tie. Though he seems fairly timid, I can tell that there’s actually quite a bit of muscle on his arms and around his torso, so he’s probably pretty active. There’s also a yellow band around his upper left arm.

 

“Don’t worry about it.” I smile and walk over, bending down to pick up the book that he’s dropped. It looks like he picked up a book on the Ultimate Foundation. I’d be more interested, but I already know plenty of what’s probably in it. I wouldn’t accept a title from a group that I hadn’t studied extensively, after all. I know that plenty about the Ultimate Foundation and their motivations. So I hand the book back to the guy who’s in here and meet his eyes. “I’m Rantaro Amami. Do you have any particular reason for reading up on the Foundation right now?”

 

“Ah, um… not really, no. I just think it’s possible that…” the boy looks down at the book, shakes his head. “No, it’s silly. Nothing more than a baseless theory, really.” He smiles up at me, shifting the book into one arm so he can offer a handshake. “Taku Kikuchi. You’re… an Ultimate too, aren’t you?”

 

I nod, and accept his handshake. “That’s right, the Ultimate Adventurer. What about you?”

 

“Oh, well… you have a really cool talent, but…” Taku’s cheeks redden slightly. “Mine is a little abnormal, but I’m… the Ultimate Grave Digger.” He smiles, touching his chest after I release his hand. “It’s not like I take pleasure in burying dead bodies, or anything, though, so don’t get the wrong idea.” He doesn’t say it with any hostility or malice; just with the countenance of a person who is used to people jumping to conclusions. Fortunately, I’m used to people doing the same thing with my talent, so I don’t have any judgements to place on him.

 

“Grave Digger, hm? I thought you looked strong!” I grin, nudging his shoulder slightly. “You must build up a lot of upper arm strength using a shovel that often!”

 

Taku hesitates. “You think so…? A lot of people tell me that I look pretty weak, despite my Ultimate.” He smiles, and I note that the expression is good humoured, if a little dry. “Though I don’t use any of that supposed strength for anything but digging holes. I don’t know what else I’d use it for, to be honest.” He shakes his head, sighs, and scratches the back of his neck. “I’m flattered you’d say so, though, Rantaro.”

 

“Just saying what I see.” I assure him, then take a moment to look around the library. “So, is there anything interesting in here? I assume you came in here after searching other parts of the building?” Taku nods, shuffling the book into his other arm. Maybe because the one he was holding it in a moment ago has gotten tired.

 

“I woke up in that room over there.” He points to a door that I didn’t see before upon walking in, one that is almost hidden by stacks of books. But it’s a bright white, which contrasts sharply against the darker tones of the library. “Which I think is an infirmary of sorts, though I would suggest looking yourself, just to ascertain. I might be lying, you know…? Anyway, um…” he trails off, as though losing his train of thought, before regaining it. “Somebody else is in there… Yuuki, was her name, I think. She was in here when I came out. I’ve been looking around here since and I might have lost track of time. That happens to me a lot.” He clears his throat. “But, to answer your question, not really. At least, nothing that I can find after barely more than fifteen minutes.” Taku chews his thumb. “I’d love to spend a day or so in here, looking through all the books, but…”

 

I rub the back of my neck. I understand the sentiment. This is such an intriguing space, I’d be quite interested in looking at everything more thoroughly. Given the option, Takako and I would be exploring every inch of these facilities together. But more and more signs are appearing that are telling me that I’m probably not here by choice. If that’s the case, then I’ve got to go. There’s no way that this is going to help me find my sisters.

 

I clear my throat. “I’ll check on the infirmary. Will you be here when I get back?”

 

Taking a moment to consider my question, Taku eventually nods, biting his lip. “Yeah… probably, anyway. I’m going to look over a couple more of the books in here, and see if there’s anything I’ve missed. I’m bound to miss things with such a cursory glance of the room, but… I’d rather not miss anything super important. Just in case.” He clears his throat. “How many other people are there here? It’s weird that there are so many Ultimates in one place…”

 

He’s not the only one who thinks so, for sure. “Sixteen, I think.” I consider it. “So far, I’ve met eleven people, including you, and there are four people who I’ve heard about through other people,” I add, thinking of the girl named Yuuki who Taku just mentioned, “But everything here seems to be made for sixteen people. The set-up of the dining hall, the dorms…”

 

“Dorms?” Taku’s eyes widen. “Tell me… about the dorms, Rantaro.”

 

“Ah…” I know he’s probably just thinking about something, but I wasn’t really expecting to be put on the spot, so I’m a little taken off guard. “There are sixteen of them, and they’re set up around an atrium. Each one of the doors has one of our names on them, via a plaque. It’s a pretty fancy engravement, too.”

 

Even though Taku doesn’t speak for a moment, I can tell he’s thinking hard. “For… for us to be put in this space, that is specifically tailored to…” he blinks hard. “No, nevermind. This is all just… speculation.” He sighs, then looks at the book in his arm. “I’ll let you go. There’s probably more you need to see.”

 

“...alright.” I’m a little wary that Taku seems hesitant to share what he’s thinking, but I think that’s just on account of his not having enough information. Plus, we’ve only just met. I can’t blame him for not wanting to trust me right away. “I’ll see you in a minute, most likely, but in case I don’t… head to the gym after you’re done looking around this place. I think everybody is supposed to gather there.” Unless that note was a prank, of course- in which case Takako and I have been making sure that everybody falls for it. And… Juro too, probably… oh well.

 

“Alright, I’ll do that.” Taku says softly, and offers a smile, scratching the back of his neck. “There’s nothing off about the infirmary, I don’t think, but be careful, anyway.” I appreciate it. Even though we’ve only just met, he’s still keeping an eye out for my well-being. I don’t need to be taken care of, but it’s nice that his heart is still in that place.

 

I give a two fingered salute and turn, weaving around piles of books and stopping in front of the door to the infirmary. Even standing right here, I can detect a sharp, clean scent. It reminds me of a hospital. I suppose that’s fitting. Sucking in a breath, I turn the door knob and follow the door inside.

 

The overwhelming symmetry of the place catches me off guard. There are beds lining two of the walls- eight on each side, I note dryly- and the far wall is packed with cabinets, presumably for medicine. There are a couple of carts, as well as a sink in the corner, which have other items, like stethoscopes and syringes, lying atop them. The lights in here seem like a bad thing for people who aren’t feeling well. Obnoxiously bright, and obnoxiously white. I’m getting a headache, and I’m not even sick.

 

A girl is standing in front of one of the cabinets, and I recall what Taku said, about somebody walking in here, so I’m not surprised. When she turns around, though, it’s without any surprise in her expression, so I can tell that she already heard me enter.

 

She’s about half a foot shorter than me, give or take (probably take) a couple of inches. She has pale blonde hair that is long enough to reach past the middle of her back. It’s fairly straight, but curls inward at the bottom. Her eyes are large, and a warm shade of pink. There is a black ribbon tied on the right side of her head, and she is wearing a pair of thin, round glasses. Not dissimilar to Taku’s, or Sayuri’s. She dresses, like most of the rest of us, in a school uniform; for her, a grey jacket and a lighter grey pleated skirt, with a white button down skirt and pink necktie beneath. Like Emiko, she’s wearing white socks and plain black shoes, though they’re not mary janes. Her expression as she looks at me is quizzical, and a little disconnected, but not hostile, so I smile.

 

“Are you another Ultimate?” She asks, somewhat bluntly, to which I nod. “I’m Yuuki Watanabayashi.” What a long name… she introduces herself without being prompted, which I find to be rather bold on her part. Most people have seemed pretty intimidated at first. I don’t dislike it, though. She smiles a little bit, but it seems more forced on her part as she walks over. “Ultimate Euphonium player.” She adds, and I find myself frowning.

 

“Euphonium…? Sorry, I’m not familiar.” It sounds like something that I’ve heard before, but I can’t really place it. Based on her title, I can assume that it’s some kind of instrument, but honestly? It sounds like something off the periodic table. I can tell that this is the wrong thing to say to Yuuki, though, because she scowls almost immediately.

 

“You don’t know what a euphonium is?” She says it with such judgement in her tone that I almost want to rescind my words from before, but I think that’ll only make this worse. “Jeez!” Yuuki sounds annoyed, but she’s not genuinely upset… I think? “Nobody knows, honestly. People are the worst.” She rolls her eyes. “Okay, who are you and what’s your Ultimate talent?”

 

“Rantaro Amami,” I introduce myself as soon as she asks, because I don’t want to frustrate her further. “And I’m the Ultimate Adventurer.”

 

Yuuki makes a face, but then it slips from her expression, making way for something more tired. “I guess I can’t really make fun of you since you don’t even know what a euphonium is…” now she sounds dejected! What am I supposed to say? “...wait, I have priorities here!” She clears her throat and points at the cabinet she was just looking at. “Look.” I follow her over, and she opens the cabinet, gesturing at all of the bottles inside. I notice what she’s talking about just as she points it out. “Poison. What is poison doing in an infirmary?”

 

I have a lot of guesses, but none of them are pretty. This is definitely the kind of thing I need to tell Takako about. “I have… I’ve got no idea.” I choose not to share any of my weird theories with Yuuki, because I don’t think there’s any point in making baseless conjectures. (I suddenly understand why Taku was reluctant to tell me what he was thinking.) “But that’s scary. Yikes.” I take one of the bottles out of the cabinet. Arsenic. “This is extremely dangerous. These should be under lock and key.”

 

“I’ll say.” Yuuki takes the bottle from my hand and returns it to the cabinet, closing the door as though she doesn’t trust me near the poisons. (Which is an unfair judgement to make with only the information that I don’t know what a euphonium is.) “Or not here at all… who else is here, other than me, you, the grave digger, and that weird twi- I mean, skateboarder?” What were you _going_ to say?

 

I take a moment to count in my head before I respond. “Twelve people, other than us.” I list off the Ultimate Talents of everybody who I’ve met thus far, and the three people who I haven’t. I can only hope that I’ll meet them on my way out of here, or that Juro has already told them to go to the gym. I’d hate for anybody to end up missing out on that. Speaking of which, I should tell Yuuki as much, too. “All of them are Ultimates.”

“That’s really weird.” Yuuki points out, which I think was pretty obvious, but I think it’s safer not to comment. Everybody else has had something similar to say, thus far, after all. “Hey. Have you found anything else dangerous around here?” Her eyes focus on my face, and even though she doesn’t look too serious, the intensity of her gaze makes me a little bit uncomfortable.

 

“No.” I say honestly, but then think back to the kitchen. “There were knives in the kitchen, but that’s… about it.” I scratch the back of my head. “Most of what’s here… you’d expect to find anywhere.” Well, anywhere that people are supposed to be staying, at least. Which is a pretty intimidating thought, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. “What about you? Have you looked around downstairs at all?”

 

Making a face, Yuuki nods. “There’s nothing too dangerous at first glance, but in that warehouse…” that must be where the unmarked double doors across the hall from the library lead, then. “There was a lot. Plenty of that stuff could be used badly… they didn’t even have a euphonium. I prefer my own, but I’d like to play it right now…” she sighs, running a hand through her hair. “Oh, well. I’m going to keep looking around, I guess.”

 

I nod. “Yeah, me too. Go to the gym after this, alright? Takako- another one of the Ultimates here- and I found a note saying to do so.” Yuuki appraises me for a moment, still with that weirdly blank expression, but finally nods her agreement.

 

“Mhm… alright, I will.” She brushes past me, to the door, and while I wouldn’t call her manner short, or distasteful, I do think the fact that I don’t know what euphoniums are is a factor. (She’s not helping me figure it out by not explaining it to me, though…) “Nice to meet you, I guess.” Yuuki smiles a bit, and I return the expression, before she turns and exits the infirmary. I’ll follow suit soon enough, but at the moment, I’d like to look through the rest of these cabinets… and see if there’s anything else in them that might be dangerous. It wouldn’t hurt to look at that medical equipment, either. I don’t know why, but this suddenly feels extremely important.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yuuki,,,, what a waifu,,,,,,,, and Taku,,,,,,,,,,, what a son,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
> 
> I have a lot of FEELINGS about these OCs alright
> 
> anyway cough sorry this chapter took a hot minute to spit out but it's here, it's still pretty gay, and it's ready to rumble
> 
> I mean could be gayer but we're getting there
> 
> only so much I can do with an ace protagonist
> 
> at any rate I hope you enjoyed! maybe I'll have a huge surge of inspiration and write a ton and update tomorrow but probably not and if that's the case then you'll have to wait for an update until after I get out an update for my other long-term, The Best Lies, which is sorta my priority atm
> 
> I can't say it's good but it's definitely there and also extremely long. would recommend
> 
> I do like it when y'all leave comments!!! priority is your enjoyment though so uwu thanks for reading see y'all later


	6. Prologue [6]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rantaro meets Tsumugi Shirogane, and also explores the movie room.

What I would really like to do is take inventory of every poison that is in here, but I don’t have time to do that. I don’t know if it will even be necessary (though I’m starting to think that it will). If I neglect to do it now, though, and do it later, it’s possible that somebody will have already taken one of the bottles and I won’t even notice. So I count all the bottles and pick up a pen from one of the carts, uncapping it and writing the number twenty four on the inside of my wrist. If one of the bottles is taken, all I’ll have to do is recount and know for sure. For now, though, I’ll have to hope that nobody does take a bottle, so that I can come back later and record the name of every poison on this shelf.

 

With that in my head, I feel satisfied as I step back out into the library. It’s an odd choice, having the infirmary only accessible through the library, for sure. I wonder why whoever designed this building chose to do that. As soon as I’m in the library, though, and surrounded by the smell of books again rather than that nauseatingly clean scent from the infirmary, I notice that Taku is still in here, as promised. He doesn’t notice me reentering, perhaps because all of his attention is on the book in his arms.

 

“Hey, Taku,” I walk over. “Did you notice the poisons in there?” He jumps a little (probably surprised, which I feel kind of guilty about) but smiles when we make eye contact, marking his page and closing the book.

 

“I did, yeah… I wondered… well, I don’t know.” Again with the alluding to having an idea but not being confident enough to share it… it’s a little frustrating, but I’m sure that it just comes from a place of insecurity, so I shouldn’t hold it against him. “There’s no good reason… for why those poisons should be here.” Taku rubs the back of his neck, frowning.

 

“Don’t worry about it.” I say, almost instinctively, upon seeing the distraught look in his eyes. “Whatever the explanation is, we’ll make sure those poisons don’t get used.” I don’t know if I’m referring to ‘we’ as a more general way of talking about the group, or ‘we’ as in Taku and me, but whatever the case, I decide to refrain from telling him that I’ve taken a precaution against one of the poisons being taken. I don’t want to make him feel like I distrust the people here, or worry him by putting the idea in his head of something bad happening. No, I can tell people later. I fold my arms over my chest but subtly pull my sleeve over the number on my wrist. “Are you going to look around this building some more?”

 

Thumbing the corner of his book, Taku nods. “I think I will, yes... there’s… a lot I’m curious about, in regards to what else is out there. Are there any dangers out there, Rantaro?” He asks the question so genuinely, and I’m a little taken aback, because nobody else has seemed to be concerned about it thus far, but… well, it makes sense. Taku woke up in the room with the poisons. At any rate, I shake my head.

 

“Still, it can’t hurt to be a little careful.” I say lightly, smiling at him in what I hope is a reassuring manner. Thankfully, it seems to work, and Taku relaxes.

 

“...okay. I’m going to… nevermind. But you can go on ahead. I’ll see you in the gym.” After Taku says this, he fidgets with the book in his hands, which makes me think that whatever he’s going to do in here has to do with it. I assume he’ll be hiding it somewhere he can get to it again. I’m not about to call attention to it, or ask any questions. If he doesn’t want to tell me, it’s probably just out of a place of wariness, rather than distrust. I choose not to take offense.

 

“Sounds good.” I smile. “I’ll be downstairs for a while longer if you need help finding it.” But somehow I don’t think he’ll need to take me up on that… regardless, I bid Taku adieu and exit the library, coming back out into what, on second glance, really does seem like a lounge. I flip over one of the stray cushions with my pillow, frowning down at it. All of this looks really comfortable, I’ll be honest, but does it have to be entirely black and white? It’s more than just a bit weird from both a design and aesthetic perspective. Not to mention that it gives the space a bit of a tense atmosphere.

 

Nonetheless, I note that Takako is not waiting for me, which tells me she’s either still exploring what Yuuki referred to as the warehouse, or she’s moved on to the game room or the bathroom. Since I don’t have much else to do, and I already said I would, I walk through the room and open the door to the movie room.

 

The first thing I note is the scent of popcorn. It’s strong, but not unpleasant. I’d be able to more thoroughly enjoy the ambience of the room if not for the fact that the light is off. Mumbling under my breath, I grope along the wall until my hand finds a light switch and I turn it on. The lights flicker a little bit as they come on, but eventually they do remain, and I note that the bulb is rather weak. Would probably need to be replaced. The light is gentler than in the infirmary, thank god, and it looks as though the room is big enough to be a classroom, of sorts. The walls on my right and left are filled from top to bottom with DVDs and cassette tapes. Right next to me, near the entrance, there is a projector, and on the far wall, a projector screen. At the moment it’s rolled up, but there’s a string hanging down, so it could probably just be pulled down.

 

The rest of the space is empty, save for a large rug, many beanbags, a few pillows, and a couple blankets piled on top of each other in the far right corner. Also, there is a popcorn maker next to the blankets, which I think is the source of the scent. But the maker is empty at the moment, and the smell is rather poignant… likely, the room just hasn’t been aired in a while.

 

Well, this should be everything, but with the image of those poisons still fresh in my mind… I walk over to one of the shelves and begin glancing over the cases, wondering if it’s possible for anything to be hidden behind any of these. When I pull away the first case, dust comes off on my fingers, and I sneeze. It seems as though these haven’t been used in a while. I wipe off the case on my shirt.  _ Castle of Cagliostro.  _ Not a bad movie.

 

I put back the case and step away. If there is anything dangerous here, I decide, I’m not going to find it now. I should come back here later for a more thorough examination, but… well, I don’t know if this situation is going to call for that, really, and I’m already giving myself a ton of things to do… looking through this place should take hours! I don’t know if I’m equipped to deal with that. Alone, no less. But even just thinking about Taku’s hesitation in the first place reminds me of my own misgivings, and I decide to keep this thought to myself, too. I don’t have any reason to distrust anybody, it’s just… I wouldn’t want to drag anybody into anything that might be completely trivial.

 

I sigh, walking back over to the projector. It’s plugged into the wall. I swipe a finger over the power button and wipe off the dust on my pants before placing my hand back on the device. Tentatively, I turn it on, and wait to see if anything will happen.

  
After a short delay, the projector powers on, and the far wall is lit up with a blue square. Nothing else plays, likely because the DVD and VHS player connected to the projector doesn’t have anything in it at the moment, but it’s interesting to me that this thing works. Nodding to myself, I turn the projector back off again and turn off the light, opening the door and exiting the room.

 

Now that I think about it, that’s the first room I’ve gone in where there’s been nobody else there at all. Perhaps because nobody else has looked in there yet. Or maybe somebody has, and they just did a really good job covering their tracks. I can’t imagine why somebody would go to those lengths to hide that they’d been there, though.

 

I cough into my hand as I step back out into the hallway. It really was dusty in there.

 

“Hey, are you okay?” It’s a girl’s voice; one I don’t recognise. I look up, startled, because naturally I didn’t notice them as soon as I re-entered the hallway. Vaguely, it registers in my mind that whoever just spoke has to be one of the three people I haven’t met yet, for them to be somebody completely new to me. Just as I suspected, when I make eye contact with the girl, she’s not somebody who I’ve seen before. Her blue hair is incredibly long, almost down to her knees. Though she has a pair of oval glasses perched on her nose, her teal eyes are wide and striking. At the moment, as well, touched with concern. She’s pale, and it’s only that much more noticeable due to her chosen colour pallette; similar to most of the other people here, she is dressed in a school uniform. Hers is dark blue, and symmetrical; her skirt is buttoned just above her stomach, with her white blouse tucked in, and she wears a yellow ribbon around her collar, as well as a dark blue jacket. The smile on her face is gentle, and her brows are pinched with what I can assume is the same concern I see in her eyes.

 

I think I recall Juro saying that the Cartographer and the DJ were guys… so this must be the Ultimate Cosplayer. I don’t remember her name, though. Still, I’ve been quiet for too long. “Huh?” I curse myself for responding so blandly from the get-go, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t surprised. “Oh- yeah, I’m okay. Just a bit dusty in there.” I smile, stepping forward. I don’t think it’s a good idea to ask her if she’s the Ultimate Cosplayer. That might be kind of weird.

 

“The movie room?” She asks with a frown, glancing behind me. “It’s… kind of weird for the movie room to be dusty, isn’t it? It doesn’t look like this room sees a lot of people, though…” a frown crosses over her features, and she falls silent for a moment, before snapping out of it. “Sorry, I always space out when I’m talking to people. I’m Tsumugi Shirogane, the Ultimate Cosplayer.”

 

I imagine she’s already received the information, then, that everyone here is an Ultimate. It shouldn’t be hard to figure out, after meeting a couple others. Anyway, I stop in front of her and offer a handshake. “Rantaro Amami, Ultimate Adventurer. I thought you’d be the Ultimate Cosplayer, but I didn’t want to ask upfront.” I’m telling her anyway! Why? “You’ve met Juro Sako, right? The Ultimate Spy?”

 

Tsumugi accepts my handshake, messing with her hair. “Yes, I think so… thanks for mentioning his talent, there are so many people here, it’s hard for me to keep track of names. Honestly, I’ve forgotten half the people I’ve met already, and I don’t even have a bad memory!” She chuckles, shaking her head, then narrows her eyes at me. “You’re not like Juro, though? You know what cosplay is?”

 

I almost laugh at the memory. “Yeah, I do.” I guess Yuuki isn’t the only person who’s sensitive about people knowing her talent! It’s not necessarily anything too scornful, though… it must be difficult to talk to people who don’t know a single thing about your passion. I have it easy, having a talent as basic as the Ultimate Adventurer…

 

“Good.” Tsumugi sighs, releases my hand, and shakes her head. “I get that I’m plain, so most people have never heard of me, but not all cosplayers are… though, if a cosplayer makes you remember them rather than the character they’re cosplaying as, something is pretty wrong,” she tacks on the second part of that sentence with a severity that seems uncharacteristic for her, despite the fact that I’ve only known her for about two minutes.

 

“I don’t think you’re plain at all,” I say, and prepare to say more, but Tsumugi interrupts me.

 

“It’s okay, you don’t have to lie about it. I’m comfortable with it! Honest.” She smiles, but it’s a little bit unfair, because I really don’t think somebody with such long blue hair is plain in any way, but maybe saying as much would be a little on the nose. (I’ve got no room to talk, having green hair, at any rate.) Biting her lip, Tsumugi speaks again, glancing behind herself. “So, uh… Juro mentioned going to the gym when I’m done here.” There was a pause before she said Juro’s name, likely because she had forgotten it again. “Is that good information?”

 

“Hm? Yeah.” I nod. “Takako- another one of the Ultimates here, we’ve been looking around together- found the same info. Why? Do you distrust Juro for any reason?”

 

“Not particularly,” Tsumugi admits. “I’m just hesitant to take the word of someone called the Ultimate Spy, you know?” She laughs nervously, shaking her head. “But if you and your friend can verify, then I’m sure it’s fine.” I mean, I suppose it’s understandable, though I don’t think it’s a good idea to make judgements on people based on something as surface-level as that… Juro seemed incredibly outgoing and open. I guess it’s just his job as a spy to seem that way, but… my gut tells me I can trust him.

 

“Have you looked at much else down here?” I ask, wanting to steer the conversation away from the topic of distrusting any of the other Ultimates who are being kept here. “That door isn’t labelled, but we’re pretty sure that it leads to a warehouse.”

 

“Oh, no! I’ll go look at everything. Might as well!” Tsumugi smiles at me. “How much have you seen, Rantaro?”

 

Even though I know the answer off the top of my head, I take my time answering. “I looked in the library, which is connected to the infirmary, by the way, and the movie room. Takako is checking out the warehouse and the game room. I’m, um, about to check out the guy’s room,” I add, gesturing at the bathroom behind me, and Tsumugi’s smile turns a little more wry as she nods.

 

“I see… well, I’d join you, but I don’t think I’m really… allowed to do that?” Despite her words, Tsumugi doesn’t seem embarrassed at all. I chuckle, because there isn’t really any other good way for me to respond to that. “I’ll be looking in the library first, I guess!”

 

“Alright.” I watch as she crosses the space and steps into the library, waving. “Stay safe.”

 

Tsumugi laughs, as though what I’ve just said is ridiculous. “I’m flattered you’d think to say that to someone plain like me, but I’ll be fine!” She promises, a wide smile appearing on her face anyway. “It’s just a library, after all. Same to you! You never know what might be lurking in the guys room!” And with that, she disappears through the double doors.

 

Without much else left to do, I run a hand through my hair and turn around, walking up to the guy’s room and turning the knob. The door gives under my hand and I follow it inside.

 

The layout of the room is pretty similar to the one upstairs. It doesn’t smell bad, honestly, though from the bits of soap on the sink and droplets of water on the floor, I can surmise that somebody has used this bathroom. Semi-recently, too, if the state of the water is anything to go by. I check every stall, to see if there’s another note, like what Takako found, but it yields no results, so eventually I just step back out into the hallway and lean against the wall, waiting for her to reemerge.

 

Just as I do, though, the door to the girl’s bathroom opens, and Takako steps out, fixing her braid.

 

“Ah, did something happen?” I ask, frowning and standing up off the wall. Her brown eyes flicker to meet mine and she shakes her head with a light laugh.

 

“Not reeeaally… I just looked inside the closet there, because that’s where I found the note last time, and my hair got stuck, and the hair band snapped.” Takako smiles sheepishly, cheeks flushing as though she’s embarrassed. “It was a pretty old band, anyway, and I’ve got plenty, but… I’ve always been pretty lousy at doing my own hair without a mirror.” She huffs, showing me her braid. It’s honestly not so bad, but it was definitely nicer before.

 

“I can fix it for you,” I offer. When Takako raises her eyebrows at me, I backpedal, realising the potential connotations of what I’ve just said. “Not like that, I just have… younger sisters, who I’ve helped with their hair, in the past.” That’s all that I’m going to say about it, but from the look on Takako’s face, I don’t think she’s going to ask any questions. Wordlessly, she nods, pulling the hair band from the end of her braid and stepping over, turning her back to me so that I can fix her hair.

 

As I undo what remains of the braid from before and work on separating it into three parts, Takako speaks. “So, that unmarked room? A storage space, of some kind. Tons of stuff in there.”   
  


“Yuuki Watanabayashi used the word warehouse.” I suggest, tucking a couple of flyaway hairs into the braid. “Uhh, Ultimate Euphonium Player. I met her in the infirmary.” I add, for context.

 

“Warehouse is  _ perfect.  _ I don’t know why I didn’t think of it.” Chuckling, Takako shakes her head a little bit, and I loosen my grip on her hair to avoid pulling at her scalp. “Anyway, there was a lot. Lots of non-perishable foods, but also just… day-to-day items. Towels, soap, toilet paper, bed sheets, pillows… there were school supplies, hair ties… a lot of accessories, really. Spare clothing items. Fairly plain ones, on that note, just things I imagine people would need. They even had like, menstrual stuff! Whoever stocks that warehouse came prepared.”

 

“Ohhh, you shouldn’t talk about that kind of stuff with a guy.” I say, but I think my smile sneaks its way into my voice. I finish up her braid and hold out my hand so that she can see it, and Takako places her hair band into my palm. As I begin to tie off the end, she responds.

 

“Nah, you have sisters. You probably get it.” I’m used to hearing about it, sure, but most of my sisters were gone before they could start having their periods, so… but that’s a supremely miserable train of thought so I cut it off. “Anyway, the game room was pretty much what it sounds like. There was a pool table, a foosball table, tons of decks of cards and a couple arcade machines, too. Also, table tennis, but the table was folded when I went in there. Probably to leave more space in the room. There were a couple chairs, I think, as well.” Takako hums. “What about your end?”

 

Having been prompted, I explain what I saw in the library and the infirmary, as well as the movie room. I do mention the poisons, though somewhat briefly, and I don’t tell her that I counted how many poisons there were in there. I trust Takako, perhaps more than I trust the others here (though only because we’ve been looking around together) and I’m reluctant to keep things from her, but it’s important to be on my guard at all times. “I’m done,” I finish, releasing her braid and stepping away. Takako turns around, lifting her hair in her hands and smiling widely. She can only see the end of it, but I can tell from her expression that she’s happy.

 

“Holy crap, Rantaro, this is really good.” Takako meets my eyes, and I feel a rush of warmth in my chest at how genuine she sounds. “Thank you. Wow! I’m super impressed.” She chuckles, shaking her head, and drops her braid. “I don’t know very many guys who are good at this kind of thing. It’s nice to meet a person who’s in touch with his feminine side.”

 

“I’ll take that as a compliment, haha.” I smile slightly. “Anyway, I’m glad I could help.”

 

Takako nods, then gestures for me to follow her. “C’mon, let’s go back upstairs. We still have that last hallway to check out, and the gym. Is there anything I should see in particular, or that you’d like to see?” As much as I’d love to look through the warehouse and game room myself, I won’t need to see them if a way to get out of here presents itself in the gym. And if not… then, I’ll get plenty of time to see them later, won’t I?

 

Ugh, just the thought of that makes my stomach churn. I really don’t have time for this. Still, I manage a smile, for Takako’s sake. “No. Let’s go on upstairs.” There are still two people here who we haven’t met yet, but we’ll meet them in the gym, most likely- based on what Tsumugi said, about Juro telling her where to go. It’s possible we’ll meet them even before that. There’s no use stressing out about it, though.

 

So instead, I file my thoughts away for later pursuit and follow Takako up the stairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rantaro stop being so aggressively independent jinkies you're a protagonist now you have to trust EVERYONE
> 
> okay anyway dbjbf I know y'all are probably seeing Tsumugi and narrowing your eyes and honestly I would too. I don't think a lot of people shove in Smoogs in their 52nd killing game fics but just bear with me here :^))) and also my flimsy characterisation, I swear I have a plan for both of them
> 
> hope this chapter was enjoyed, shit really hits the fan next time >:)))


	7. Prologue [7]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rantaro talks to everybody except Tsumugi and those he hasn't met yet, and everyone's favourite teddy bear makes an entrance!

When Takako and I first get upstairs, I’m not entirely sure that I know which way to go to the gym. I figure it’ll be in the direction that we haven’t gone in, but I know nothing about the layout of this building. For all I know, there’s a completely different room at the end of this hallway.

 

Thankfully, though, as soon as we reach the row of doors across from the foyer, we come to a set of double doors that are, unlike the others, likely unlocked. On the side, there is a sign that reads “gym”, so I figure it’s our best bet. I glance over at Takako, who is looking at the doors with something resembling apprehension playing on her features. Maybe I should talk to her.

 

“You alright?” I ask, and she meets my eyes, cheeks reddening as though she’s embarrassed that I noticed her anxiety. I’ve been in her shoes before, but she has nothing to be embarrassed about. I’m not going to judge her. I’m nervous myself. I hope to convey as much with my smile, but there’s only so much that can be read from a facial expression.

 

“I’m… fine.” She sighs, shaking her head. “Just… I don’t know. There’s so much in this building that I’m not sure about. The note said to come when we’re ready, but I don’t even know what ready _means._ And who wrote the note to begin with? Who is Monokuma?” Takako bites her lip, averting her gaze like she hadn’t meant to say as much as she did just now. “It’s okay. We should just bite the bullet and do it. I’m still nervous about it, though. This is probably not… going to go well.”

 

“Hey.” I touch her shoulder, though lightly, wary of crossing a boundary. “If it goes badly, then it goes badly. There’s nothing we’ll be able to do about it, in that case. The best you can do is be on your guard. But don’t stress out about it. We still don’t know that whoever brought us here has mal intent.” As I say it, I think of the poisons, but try to vanish the thoughts from my head, for the sake of calming Takako’s nerves. “I can’t guarantee it’ll be okay- but if things don’t go well, we’ll figure something out.”

 

She takes a breath, closing her eyes temporarily. “You’re right.” Takako eventually succeeds, massaging her temple with one hand as she opens them again. “It’s out of our hands, really. No use worrying about what we can’t change.” She shakes her head, quickly, perhaps to clear her thoughts, then meets my eyes, a smile spreading over her features. It’s a bit more forced than her smiles have been thus far, but I can tell that she’s decided to trust me. I only hope that I don’t betray that trust. “Thanks, Taro.”

 

With that out of the way, Takako turns around and opens one of the doors to the gym, pushing it open and stepping inside.

 

The gym is probably the biggest room we’ve been in thus far, aside from the sitting area in the basement. With good reason, too- it is a gym, after all. The floor is shiny, with minimal scuff marks, which only goes to further prove my initial assumption that these premises have either been recently cleaned, or uninhabited for a long time. Whatever the case, though, I look up, biting the inside of my cheek.

 

Across the room from the entrance and on my left, there are rows of bleachers that appear as though they can be folded to make more space. Against the other two walls and above my head there are basketball hoops, and off to my right there is what would appear to be an equipment closet. So there’s no doubting that this is a gym. I look around the room, trying to get used to the dim yellow light in here. The ceiling is rather high, which which tells me that it’s possible that whatever upstairs there is in this building, it doesn’t cover the gym. That would make sense, considering that from my knowledge of the building, I understand that the gym is right next to the dorms- and that space is an atrium.

 

Another notable thing about this space is that there are a bunch of people here.

 

I’m somewhat unsurprised to receive this information- Takako and I have been going around and telling everybody to head to the gym, after all. I recognise everyone in here, too, though I’m sure that not everybody is present yet. Especially considering that there are still two people here who I haven’t been acquainted with yet.

 

We walk over to where everybody has congregated and I count eleven people- that leaves three people left, to arrive. Based on the fact that I recognise all the faces in the room, I’m going to assume that it’s the DJ and the Cartographer who haven’t arrived yet- as well as Tsumugi, because she was still checking out the library when Takako and I left.

 

Emiko Yokohama is sitting on the floor with her back against the bleachers, chatting animatedly with Taku Kikuchi, who somehow beat us up here. (It’s possible that he changed his mind about exploring the rest of the building and decided to come straight here, or even just found the gym first.) It looks as though he isn’t actually talking, just listening, but from what I’ve gathered of Emiko so far, it seems appropriate. Underneath the basketball hoop, Sayuri Gui and Juro Sako have sat down against the wall, and Sayuri seems to have found a tennis ball, which she is bouncing up and down. Maybe she went to the supply closet. Asahi Sonada is leaning over Yuuto Oyama’s shoulder to look at a piece of paper- they’re both looking at it with narrowed eyes, but Yuuto is the one who is talking. Mari Nakahara, Kaoru Ukon, and Keiji Arakawa are standing closest to Takako and me, talking quietly.

 

Kayoko Takashima is sitting by herself next to the storage closet, and further up the bleachers, Yuuki Watanabayashi appears to have grabbed one of the books from the library and taken it with her- perhaps to amuse herself with.

 

Since Mari, Kaoru, and Keiji are standing the closest, that’s where Takako and I walk first. Keiji appears to be speaking about something, but when he sees us approach, he falls silent- only for Mari to lightly tap him on the shoulder, grinning. “No, keep going, they’re chill.” She says, at a normal volume. “They helped when Sayuri and I were lookin’ around outside.”

 

“...mm, okay.” Keiji rolls one of his shoulders, like he’s not entirely sure, but continues to speak anyway. Mari, meanwhile, moves over slightly to allow Takako and I space to stand next to the three of them. “I was just saying that I thought… it may be possible that the Ultimate Foundation is behind this, whatever it is.”

 

For some reason, that comment makes me think of seeing Taku with that book- how he kept alluding to having a theory as to what may be happening, but shutting himself down before he could say anything substantial. I don’t say anything, though, because I think it might make Taku uncomfortable if I told everybody here that he had a theory. He doesn’t seem to be the kind of person who is happy in big social situations, and this should definitely qualify. (He seems content enough listening to Emiko, but if anything that’s more of a reflection of her than it is of him; her demeanour is remarkably disarming. It probably does her some good as the Ultimate Pacifist.)

 

Takako speaks instead. “Really? The Foundation is behind this…? What makes you say that?”

 

“Think about it.” Keiji crosses his arms, a frown appearing on his features. “They’re the only ones with the resources to pull off this kind of operation. Nobody in the world knows all of our names and talents- much less where to find us and how to kidnap us and bring us here.”

 

“I think there’s some merit to what you’re saying.” Mari nods. “I was probably on a fuckin’ sailboat before I came here- it’d take a shit ton of resources to be able to pull off getting me, and probably others. Juro is a spy, who knows where he’d be at any given time, y’know? But the Ultimate Foundation is a non-profit! Do you think they have the bucks to do this?”

 

Kaoru bites her lip. “A lot of donations?”

  
“Yeah, when you think about it like that…” Keiji sighs, shaking his head. “Still, this is uncanny. Nobody else would have enough knowledge of our abilities to get us all here.”

 

“Unless we’re all being stalked,” Kaoru rubs the back of her neck. “I’ve gotten a couple stalkers in my time, maybe it’s a huge group of stalkers working together to kidnap the stalk-ees!”

 

“I don’t want to think about that.” Takako laughs nervously, and I find myself smiling slightly as Keiji and Mari both shake their heads. But they’re smiling too, so it’s hard for me to take any of this seriously at the moment. Keiji resumes talking, and Takako seems engaged enough in the conversation, but I’m curious as to what is holding Yuuto and Asahi’s attention, so I step away from the group of them and walk over to where the Ultimate Director and Older Brother are talking.

 

“Hey,” I call out, to grab their attention. Yuuto’s blue eyes flicker to meet mine and he smiles slightly, but the expression fades almost immediately, so I can assume that whatever they’re talking about, it’s pretty serious as well. “What are you guys looking at?”

 

Asahi beckons me forward. “Here, come look. It’s the note you and Takako mentioned.”

 

I snort. “That note was in the girl’s bathroom.” But I walk over anyway, looking down at the note. It’s the same thing; I mean, it says exactly what it said before. Not that that comes as a surprise to me. Still, I do note that there are a couple stains in the ink, suggesting that somebody got it wet. That’s odd, considering that Takako mentioned that the note was in the closet. But it was in the bathroom, so it’s possible that… well, I don’t know. I guess it’s not really worth dwelling on.

 

Making an exasperated face at me, Yuuto fiddles with the airpod that is hanging out of his left ear. “Yeah, okay, whatever, Rantaro. I prioritise results over manners.” I’m reminded of what Juro said, when Takako confronted him about going into the girl’s room. _Honestly…_ still, I don’t say anything else. “I was just discussing the handwriting on this with Asahi.”

 

“It’s bad handwriting.” Asahi comments, as though authenticating what Yuuto just said. “I’ve seen a lot of it, you know, from a lot of really young kids. This somehow gives off a different… feeling.” He leans closer to the paper, narrowing his eyes slightly. (Yuuto swallows, as though a little nervous to have Asahi leaning so close over his shoulder. Which, is, understandable.) “Like, it’s… the kind of writing that I’d expect to see from a dog, or something without thumbs, rather than a person.”

 

“It’s pretty terrible.” I agree, smiling slightly. “An observation worthy of the Ultimate Big Brother. You’d know what a kid’s handwriting would look like, wouldn’t you?”

 

“Oh, man, you’re gonna make me blush.” Asahi grins at me. “I’m just speculating, though. I might be wrong, so don’t take my words as fact just yet.”

 

“Still,” Yuuto hums, scratching his chin. “A good note, anyway. Now that I’m thinking about it consciously, you’re absolutely right. There are little tears in the page, here too. Maybe they were already there, but thinking that it was written by some kind of sentient animal suggests that whatever wrote this has claws.”

 

I’m starting to wonder if Yuuto has directed too many movies with sentient animals. I can’t just write off what they’re saying, though, even if it does sound a bit illogical.

 

“A bear, maybe? It’s named Monokuma…” Asahi suggests. This conversation seems to be going a bit too far into uncharted territory (considering that its entire basis is rooted in the hypothetical) so I excuse myself and walk over to where Kayoko is sitting by the closet. As I stop in front of her, I note that she’s writing in a notebook- probably a poem, or something, considering her talent. But when she notices me, she smiles slightly and looks up, putting a cap on her pen.

 

“You don’t have to stop on my account,” I start, as Kayoko gestures for me to sit down next to her. I do so, and continue speaking. “I was just coming over here to see what you’re up to.”

 

“I don’t mind.” Kayoko assures me, taking her beanie off her head and messing up her bright blue hair before planting the hat back on top. “I’m all for conversation! Besides, you seem pretty decent for a cis guy!”

 

I laugh nervously, because it doesn’t seem like there’s a good response to that. “I’m glad to hear that. Have you talked to the other people here yet?” I decide to change the subject a bit, because while pursuing the topic of Kayoko’s hatred of cis males is compelling to me, I could list several different ways that I would rather spend my time.

 

“Yeah, briefly.” She shrugs, gesturing over at the other people in the room. “I’ve talked to most of the people in here- except that blonde girl, on the bleachers.” Kayoko coughs into a hand, though it doesn’t seem like much of an actual cough. “I, uhm, get nervous talking to pretty girls.”

 

I nod slowly. “I can’t really relate, but her name is Yuuki, if it’s any help. She’s nice, but you’d better know what her instrument is if you want to talk to her.”

 

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Kayoko responds with a grin, then raises an eyebrow at me. “What do you mean you can’t relate? Do you think she’s not pretty? Because-”

 

“No, no, you misunderstood, I’m not saying that at all.” Everyone here is more or less attractive, though there are some people who I’m more aware of it with than others, I’ll admit. “I’m asexual, is all.” I’m not usually so flippant about my sexuality- it just came up with Takako earlier, and now it seems like the words are being pulled out of my mouth, talking to Kayoko. I think maybe that’s on account of her being so upfront about her feelings regarding guys who are cisgender. (It’s possible that I just don’t want her to dislike me, too.)

 

“Ohh!” Kayoko’s smile is more genuine now, and she raises her eyebrows, like I’ve just told her that her favourite movie is on sale. “Okay. I’m sorry for assuming, Rantaro! You look like a bit of a playboy, you know?”

 

“I get that a lot, haha.” I sigh, though, because the assumption is kind of tiresome. Do I really look _that_ much like a player…? “Sorry. That’s probably too much information.”

 

“Nah, don’t worry about it.” Kayoko bumps my arm with her elbow. “I won’t tell anybody, and anyway, it’s not a big deal. I think it’s cool. I’m gay, y’know?” I mean, I kind of got that feeling, but I wasn’t about to go out and say it… like Takako said before, there’s no good way to judge that type of thing. “Thanks for telling me.” She fiddles with her pen a little bit, and I don’t look at her journal, but I do make an effort to meet her eyes.

 

I don’t want to intrude, but I’ll admit that I am curious. “What are you writing?” I ask, smiling slightly.

 

“Oh!” Kayoko’s cheeks flush a little bit, and it shows through her makeup, which is kind of surprising to me. “Uh, just a poem. Sorry, I’d show you, but the poems that I share are usually really polished, and this one isn’t-”

 

“No, it’s fine, you don’t have to tell me.” I push myself to my feet, wanting to chat up Sayuri, Juro, Emiko, Taku, and Yuuki before everything starts happening. “I’ll leave you to it, then.”

 

“Alright!” Kayoko waves me off, eyes bright. “I’ll rejoin the group when whatever is supposed to happen in here starts happening. Nice talk, Rantaro!” I return the sentiment and head off across the gym, over to where Juro and Sayuri are sitting underneath the basketball hoop. As soon as I get over, Sayuri’s tennis ball bounces at my feet and lands in my hands. Startled, I fumble for it, but then catch it, looking forward at the two of them.

 

Sayuri’s mischievous smile tells me she did that on purpose. “Hi, Rantaro,” she greets, putting up her hands. I toss it back over, though I don’t bounce it off the floor in doing so. I don’t quite have her penchant for angle theory. “Did you and Takako get a chance to look around downstairs?”

 

I nod, crouching down in front of them. “Yeah, did you?” Sayuri shakes her head.

 

“No, Mari and I went straight back to the gym, remember?” She gestures around the space, thoughtlessly passing the tennis ball between her gloved hands. “What did you see down there?”

 

“I’m curious about that too.” Juro adds, tilting his head to the side slightly. “Kaoru and I have been in here longer than almost everyone else, aside from Keiji, so there isn’t too much in this building that I’ve seen, aside from what’s on the first floor.” He chuckles. “My first instinct was to explore everything, but I figured I’d leave that stuff to the Adventurer.”

 

“Hey… that’s right, you’re probably really good at looking for things,” Sayuri points out, raising an eyebrow at me. “Now you have twice the pressure to give a good report back about whatever was down there.” She says it lightly, so I laugh, shaking my head.

 

“Yikes, okay. Uh… there’s a movie room, a library, an infirmary, a lounge of sorts, a warehouse, a game room, and a couple bathrooms.” I list off, trying to take inventory of the things that Takako and I saw for my own sake as well. As I’m counting on my fingers, my sleeve slides down a little bit and I see the twenty four that I wrote there in permanent marker. I want to tell Juro and Sayuri about what I found, because I think they’re trustworthy, but… who knows. Who knows. I need to be on my guard. If I haven’t told even Takako, I should probably just keep that information to myself. “Also, there were poisons in the infirmary,” I add, but still withhold the information pertaining to how many poisons there were.

 

Sayuri does another one of those low whistles, a crease appearing between her eyebrows. “Why would there be poisons here…? In an infirmary, of all places…” she fiddles with her glasses, frowning.

 

“Well,” Juro starts, tapping on his chin. “Why _would_ there be poisons here, in a place where any of us could easily use them? They might seem random enough at first, but I think there is a specific reason for them to be there. Rantaro, do you know what I mean?” He looks at me, and I consider what he’s saying. Why should a potential kidnapper put poisons in a place where we can all get to them, if not…

 

“Is it possible that whoever put us here wants us to use them?” I ask, not liking the way the words sound in my mouth. I twist one of my rings around my middle finger, feeling myself frown just as Sayuri is still doing.

 

Juro, however, smiles, tapping the tip of his nose. “Bingo. I can’t say I’ve ever been in a situation exactly like this before, but there has to be a reason for everything in this building. We can’t overlook anything. All of the things put here in this space…? They’re here to send a message. Sixteen Ultimates being kidnapped and brought to a facility seemingly made just for them? Yeah, no. Whoever brought us here wants something from us, and that poison has something to do with it.”  


It looks as though Sayuri wants to say something, but then refrains, looking troubled. Instead, she messes with the ribbon on her uniform, staring down at her own wrist, where the name was written in her handwriting. I’m not sure what to say.

 

“Don’t stress out about it.” Juro directs his gaze onto Sayuri, gently touching her arm. “Whatever is going on here, there’s no reason for us to give in to their demands. We’ll figure something out, yeah?” She eventually meets his eyes, swallowing hard and nodding.

 

“Mhm. We’ll figure something out.” She repeats, then takes a deep breath, relaxing her shoulders. “Sorry, I shouldn’t… it’s probably just my time of the month, or something, that’s why I’m so emotional.” She says it lightly, like it’s a joke, but Juro still makes a face, and I snort, deciding that that’s a pretty good cue for me to take my leave of the conversation. So I bid them adieu and step away, walking over to the bleachers, where Emiko and Taku are sitting.

 

“-but yeah, I don’t know, that’s why I don’t think pineapple belongs on pizza.” Emiko concludes just as I’m stopping in front of them, and I can’t help but blanch slightly, wondering how the conversation between them even ended up this way. When she notices that I’m over here, though, a wide smile crosses over her features and she waves. “Hiya! I was just educating Taku on one of the most controversial opinions I have!”

 

“I don’t know… if I’m allowed to have an opinion on this,” Taku admits, smiling slightly. “I’m lactose intolerant, so I can’t… really have pizza.”

 

“What?” Emiko gasps, as though he’s just insulted her family. “That’s so sad, holy crap! I won’t talk about pizza anymore, then! No use telling you about awesome things you can’t have, that’ll probably just make you feel worse!”

 

“Oh, I don’t… mind…” Taku trails off. I don’t think he’s assertive enough to change her mind on anything at all- considering that Emiko presumably got her Ultimate through being incredibly straightforward and stubborn when it comes to her peace activism. I think even people who are more firm than Taku would be fighting a losing battle trying to change her mind about anything.

 

“Have you guys looked around outside?” I ask, deciding that a change in subject would probably do them some good. Emiko thinks about my question for a second, which is kinda silly seeing as it’s a yes or no question. But I appreciate the thought that she’s putting into her response, nonetheless.

 

“Yeah, a little bit. I messed around on the piano, even though all I know is the right hand of _Sad_ by Bo Burnham.” Emiko shrugs, like I’m supposed to know what that means. “But it’s nice! I’d like it a lot if I were here by choice! Actually, I still kinda like it, even though I’m pretty sure I’m not here by choice. I guess I’m a bit of a doormat! But that’s not ‘cause I’m a pacifist, okay? That’s a huge misconception and it’s not true at all!” She adds the last part with a sort of fervent energy I haven’t seen from her thus far, but since I didn’t say as much to begin with, there isn’t a very good response that I can give.

 

“I looked at the garden, but... I was a bit overstimulated being in such a new environment, so I decided to head here.” Taku admits quietly, with an embarrassed smile. “I know I told you I’d look around at more, and… it might’ve been better if I had, but…”

 

“Don’t worry about it,” I wave off his concerns. “I get it. I mean, not so much about the new environment thing. If I got overstimulated in new places, I’d be a pretty lousy Ultimate Adventurer!” I chuckle, shaking my head. “But I think I know where you’re coming from. Even if I didn’t, it wouldn’t make much of a difference, because it’s fine, anyhow.”

 

“Hmm…” Emiko narrows her eyes at me. “You know, I bet you’d get along great with the Ultimate Big Brother! Even if his talent makes him sound like he has a bit of a sister complex…” she trails off, and I snort, but shake my head.

 

“He got that talent fighting for his foster siblings, I think. I read about it in the news. But I do think I’m going to get along with everyone here, and that includes Asahi,” I promise, smiling. “It’s not often you meet this many other Ultimates, anyway, so I think no matter what I’d find a way to be friends with you guys.”

 

Emiko nods enthusiastically. “Totally! I’m looking forward to being friends with everyone! When we get out of here, and get our phones back or whatever,” she rolls her eyes at that, as though exasperated that somebody had the gall to take her belongings. (I hadn’t even thought about it, but when she says it, I notice that she’s completely right; my pockets are completely empty.) “We should definitely keep in touch!”

 

“That… would be nice,” Taku agrees faintly. “I don’t have a lot of people my age who I talk to on a regular basis… being homeschooled when my home is a cemetery, after all… oh, I don’t live in the cemetery, though. I’m alive… though I guess the inhabitants of the cemetery don’t really live there, either?” He laughs quietly, and I chuckle myself, because it’s a pretty dark joke, but he says it so faintly that it’s hard to be offended. “My home is just, on the grounds of the… never mind, that’s too much information.”

 

“Uhh, hello, queen of oversharing, here!” Emiko chirps, nudging Taku’s shoulder. “Even if you _do_ start oversharing, I probably won’t even notice! I’ve definitely already told you guys way too many things that I should probably keep to myself and we haven’t even been here for that long!”   


I’m not going to deny it, but I won’t say it’s not endearing. I feel that I’ve gotten a pretty good idea of what kind of conversation Emiko and Taku have been having over here, so I break away from the conversation and walk up the bleachers to Yuuki, who still has her face buried in a book. Unlike Kayoko, she doesn’t look up when I come over; she keeps her gaze fixed on the pages of the book that she’s reading. I don’t think she’s doing it to be rude, though. I think she’s just oblivious to the fact that I’ve walked over. With that in mind, I speak to her gently, so as not to startle her.

 

“Hey, Yuuki,” I call out, and her eyes slide up from the page to meet mine. Her expression takes on a bit of an exasperated look, almost immediately, which I think is pretty unfair, but I figure it would be best not to call it out at risk of offending her further. “What are you reading?”

 

She sighs, like talking to me is something that can’t be avoided, and looks back down at the book as she responds. “It’s about music theory.” Yuuki mumbles, a crease appearing between her eyebrows. “I can’t do chords and stuff very well on a euphonium, so I don’t always have very much interest in it, but sometimes it’s fun to read. Besides, that library was packed, so I couldn’t see if they had anything about euphoniums the first time I looked through.”

 

It seems to me like her passion for her instrument is still just as strong as it was in the infirmary. I don’t know why it wouldn’t be, to be honest. “Oh, I see.” I nod. “You know, learning that stuff could still be helpful for you if you’re wanting to play with a big ensemble. I don’t know much about music, but…”

 

Yuuki hesitates. “I don’t really play in ensembles. I…” then she frowns, like she just remembered who she’s talking to. “Nevermind. Go away. I wanna read this before things start happening.

 

I sincerely hope Kayoko knows what euphoniums are. “Right. Got it.” I smile at her, though, to let her know that I’m not holding it against her. “I’ll talk to you later, then?”

 

“Sure, whatever.” Yuuki utters, and I decide that that’s the best I’m going to get, so I climb back down the bleachers. I hop the last couple and land on the gym floor; the sound is faint, but reverberates a bit from the spot. Takako notices that I’m back on the ground again and jogs over, her braid swaying behind her as she stops in front of me.

 

“Hey, Taro, the other Ultimates came in. I think while you were talking to Kayoko.” She points behind herself, at a few people who are standing with Keiji, Mari, and Kaoru. Tsumugi is standing over there, but there are a couple guys who I don’t recognise. “That makes everyone. All sixteen of us.” I count off in my head, even though I do trust Takako’s words- Juro, Sayuri, Emiko, Yuuki, Taku, Kayoko, Mari, Keiji, Kaoru, Asahi, Yuuto, Tsumugi, the two guys (the DJ and the Cartographer) who I haven’t talked to yet, Takako, and me… yep, that’s all sixteen. We’re all here. At least, that’s what all the evidence that we’ve found here so far suggests.

 

Around me, people are starting to become aware of the same thing. Asahi and Yuuto are walking closer to the middle of the gym, serious expressions on their faces. Juro has gotten to his feet, and is offering Sayuri a hand up so that they can presumably rejoin the group as well. Kayoko has her pen in her mouth and is packing up her notebook, tucking it into the back of her jeans as she gets to her feet and jogs over. Emiko and Taku, beside me, are starting to walk over, and I hear footsteps on the bleachers, telling me that Yuuki has closed her book and is walking down to join everybody.

 

I look at Takako, who has more to say. “Come on, I’ve talked to them, but you should meet them too.” She says, gesturing for me to follow her. I do, and we walk back to the center of the gym, where everybody has congregated. The footsteps behind me suggest that Yuuki has arrived, and with that, everybody has gathered together. At Takako’s instruction, I start to move over to speak to the two who I haven’t met yet, but before I can-

 

“Upupupupu, is that everybody?” A loud, high pitched voice comes in over loudspeakers that line the walls that I hadn’t noticed before. It’s obnoxious, almost like a character in one of those cartoons I used to watch with my younger sisters. “I think it is! This is so exciting, now we can get started! I’m so glad everyone found my note!”

 

Yuuto steps forward, gesturing for the group to get behind him with an inflamed look in his eyes. Mari fiddles with the sheath on her thigh and pulls out her knife, stepping over to join him. Her gaze is serious, more serious than it’s been all day. Kayoko and Asahi exchange a look, which I think is odd, considering that I haven’t seen them interacting yet, and move forward themselves, closing ranks behind Yuuto and Mari. Juro subtly moves himself forward as well, and even though there’s no clear danger, I reach out to touch Takako’s shoulder, wary of whatever is about to happen. My heart is beating hard in my chest.

 

“Aww, are you guys that hostile to little ol’ me? Someone _surely_ has some idea who I am, right? I heard you guys speculating earlier!” The voice chirps brightly, and then another one of those disturbing giggles sounds throughout the gym.

 

“Monokuma, then.” Yuuto calls out, tone severe. “If you left the note, then you’re Monokuma.”

 

“That’s right! Give the boy a prize!” The voice is greeted with silence. “Yeesh, okay. You guys are a dead crowd!”

 

“If you step out from where you’re hiding and stop talking to us through speakers,” Kayoko shouts, eyes flashing dangerously. “Maybe we’ll be more inclined to be friendly, Monokuma.”

 

“Oh, I doubt that. They never are.” There’s a sigh. “But ask and ye shall receive, Miss Takashima! I’ll bless y’all kids with the wonderful presence of yours truly! Beware, though, I’ve been told I’m so pretty that I’ve made people faint once or twice.”  


“I’ll believe it when I see it.” Juro snaps. “Stop putting it off and show yourself.”

 

“Fiiiiine. Jeez, kids these days, so impertinent…” the speakers cut out and the lights in the gym flicker a little bit. Takako presses closer to me, and from the murmuring around me, I can tell that everyone else here is doing the same. At the front of the room, underneath the basketball hoop Sayuri and Juro were sitting underneath before, a panel opens in the floor, and it shoots out, into the air.

 

Monokuma.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a lot of foreshadowing this chapter kekekekeke
> 
> also a bit of a thiccy this time because I wanted to. idk djbfhbsdhjfb in other news Juro is my SON
> 
> so, so, so, uhhhh yeah I don't have a lot to say at the moment, maybe the prologue will end next chapter xd I wouldn't hold my breath, though, because there are still things that need to be established before we can get to chapter one!!
> 
> hope y'all enjoyed qwq
> 
> and maybe Rantaro will finally meet the DJ and the Cartographer next chapter


	8. Prologue [8]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The killing game is introduced, as well as Umi Fuji, and Hare Aoyama.

The thing that shoots out of the floor is… well, putting it lightly, it’s a teddy bear. It’s small enough to be one of the toys that my little sisters might have been interested in, back when… well, disregarding that…

 

It’s an unsettling toy. First of all, because it’s moving around with so much speed and agility, which shouldn’t be possible for a toy in any variety. It lands gracefully on the floor in front of Yuuto and Mari, and as it lifts its head, I get a better look at the other part of it that makes the contents of my stomach curdle. The bear is black and white, which would actually be a pretty good design, if the face that it has on its right side was one that it shared on both sides. A dot eye and an innocent smile. But the left side of its face, the black side… in place of the black dot eye, there’s an odd red symbol, and if I squint, I can see machinery within. Its mouth, on that side, is stretched into a wide grin, teeth bared.

 

My hold on Takako’s shoulder tightens and I feel her tensing up as well but I don’t dare take my eyes off of the thing that’s just popped up.  _ Monokuma, huh…? That makes sense, now, but…  _

 

“Wow, you are kinda cute. Not enough for me to faint, though, y’know?” Emiko blurts, then claps her hands over her mouth. “Sorry! It’s not really the time, I just- I was thinking about it, and honestly, like, if you didn’t have that creepy other side, I probably wouldn’t mind owning a teddy bear that looks like you.”

 

The bear… giggles? It’s hard to describe the fluid movements that Monokuma makes as it shifts its attention onto the Ultimate Pacifist. “You’re absolutely right, Miss Yokohama! Your trip planner is absolutely adorable! And I’m starting to consider the possibility that people actually faint for other reasons, not the cuteness.”

 

“What the  _ fuck- _ ” Mari brandishes her knife, grabbing the toy’s attention. “What the fuck are you? How are you moving? You’re a teddy bear! This shit isn’t possible. Unless it’s totally possible, and all of you landlubbers are constantly smoking crack.”

 

“U-Uhm, nope, this is a pretty unique situation.” Sayuri assures, but her gaze, which is oddly level, is still fixed on Monokuma. “This definitely doesn’t happen every day.”

 

“Landlubbers? Do sailors really talk like that?” Tsumugi murmurs, almost to herself, as she appraises Mari.

 

“Nevermind any of that.” Yuuto groans, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You’re clearly a robot that is being controlled, or some form of AI. The specifics don’t really matter at this moment. What I’d like to know is what you meant when you called yourself our trip planner.” At this, Taku perks up a little, but despite his strangely rapt expression, he doesn’t say anything. “Are you here to explain yourself, bear? Because if that’s the case, we’re waiting.”

 

Monokuma tilts its head, like it would like to be pouting. “You’re not even letting me speak, and now you’re fixing me with that intimidating director glare… I bet your actors shit themselves on set constantly!” Yuuto doesn’t humour the bear, so with a dejected sigh (???) it continues. “But you’re right that I’m here to explain! So explain, I will! You sixteen Ultimates have been brought to the Ultimate Foundation Resort for the annual Ultimate Retreat!”

 

“That’s what I thought!” Taku suddenly says, but then he seems to realise that people have looked over at him, because he blushes, rubbing the back of his neck. “I mean, I didn’t… I didn’t know for  _ sure,  _ but I’d heard of the retreat before, and I know that it’s… sixteen people…” he looks at Monokuma now, frowning. “But, why take us without our consent…? Or if we gave consent, then, why make us… forget?”

 

“Upupupupu, the undertaker is asking the real questions!”

 

“Ah… I’m… a grave digger…”

 

“Yeah, yeah, same difference.” Taku makes a face which can be best described as a pout, and it’s blatantly obvious that he doesn’t feel like they’re the same, but he doesn’t protest further, and thus Monokuma continues. “But yes! It’s customary for the Ultimate Foundation to wipe your memories before taking you to the resort! It’s more fun, that way, if you come in as confused as possible, y’see!”

 

Juro mumbles, “That doesn’t sound  _ fun  _ at all. That sounds like kidnapping.”

 

“Yeah. Consent can be revoked at any time, you know.” Kayoko points out, crossing her arms, and Asahi nods gravely beside her, following suit. I can’t help but think that they look kind of intimidating like that, standing next to each other- if only due to Asahi’s large stature and Kayoko’s no-nonsense attitude. Her glare is terrifying. Asahi is only reinforcing the image.

 

“Whaaat? What isn’t fun about it?” Monokuma twirls a little bit in place, adding on a couple more of those odd giggles. “Who wouldn’t want to spend the rest of their life in an amazing resort with fifteen of their fellow Ultimates?”

 

It takes a minute for those words to register in my mind, but the minute they do, Mari is yelling. “The rest of our lives? Hey, what the fuck do you mean by that? Even if this is only for a couple weeks, I’ve got shit to do, pal! I can’t just stay here on  _ land.  _ The rest of my life is out of the goddamn question!”

 

“I’m on the same boat as her- err, pun not intended,” Tsumugi pipes up, glancing at the Ultimate Sailor. (Mari shrugs.) “I’m busy, I’ve got cosplays to work on! There’s no way I can come to a retreat and spend time slacking off!”

 

“I haven’t finished my new mixtape yet, man, I can’t do this,” one of the guys I haven’t met interjects, and I assume he is the Ultimate DJ, because he is speaking about his mixtape, but also because of the pair of large headphones seated around his neck. He’s wearing a pale blue jacket, a grey t-shirt, black sweatpants with red stripes on the sides, and black sneakers. His skin is about as tan as Kaoru’s, and his hair sits on his head in an uneven mess of dark blue waves. I can’t see his eyes because he’s wearing sunglasses (inside, really?) but he’s smiling, albeit a slightly pained smile. “I’m down to retreat, but maybe just for like, two days? The rest of my life? Nah.”

 

“Y’all don’t even have a skateboarding rink.” Keiji grumbles. “Uncool.”

 

“Hey!” Monokuma snaps, and the chatter that the group dissolved into peters out until the only voice left in the room is the bear’s. “Did I say you had a choice in this matter? Jeez! You kids are going to tire me out. And you can put that knife away, by the way, because harming the trip planner is against the rules!” It adds, looking at Mari, who does no such thing. Instead her grip tightens on the knife until her knuckles turn white. “You have to stay here forever, you know! That’s how the Ultimate Retreat works!”

 

“...no, it’s not.” Taku says quietly. “It’s only supposed to last a week.”

 

“Aghh, you and your prior knowledge!” The bear complains, throwing its arms in the air. “You’re so annoying! Okay, fine! The Ultimate Foundation decided to spice things up a little bit, alright? They wanted a distraction free environment for you guys to spend the rest of your lives cultivating your talents! Those locked doors all over the main building between this room, the gym, and the dining hall? Yeah, those are going to be labs for you guys to work on your shit! They’re just not all done yet, so we haven’t opened them up.”

 

“I’m sorry.” I didn’t want to intervene, because I don’t think I have enough information yet to make any good statements or come to any conclusions, but I can’t help it when the words come out of my mouth. “I don’t have time to stay here. I appreciate the sentiment, but I’ve got to  _ go. _ ” I can’t help the bit of heat that enters my tone.

 

Asahi backs me up. “How are people like Rantaro and me supposed to develop our talents here, anyway? I’m an older brother. I can’t do anything for the foster care system or otherwise when I’m trapped in here, without my siblings. And Rantaro’s an adventurer. He’s not going to get better at his talent being here, on this retreat.”

 

“Me too!” Emiko calls out. “Even if you are cute, you know, I’ve got protests and stuff to attend! I’m not exactly working to end wars when I’m stuck in here! Yoo, I’d say that this would be a great one-week thing, but I actually kinda just wanna go home, seeing as you sort of forced us to be here without consent, y’know?”

 

“Aww… you guys are a bunch of spoilsport workaholics… aren’t you supposed to be rebellious teenagers? Where’s your sense of fun?” Monokuma sighs, like it’s disappointed, but I’m having a hard time empathising with it. “Fine, then, I thought this would happen. It always does. Fortunately, our sponsors came up with a solution.”

 

Takako speaks up at this, tilting her head to the side. “Sponsors? You mean…”

 

“That’s right!” Monokuma, who is already grinning, somehow manages to make its smile even more disturbing. “Kuramoto Cosmetics, which is sponsoring this Ultimate Retreat, decided to give you guys a way to get out!”

 

“What is it, then?” Yuuto demands. “Don’t beat around the bush.”

 

“Okaay… geez, so pushy…” Monokuma mutters. “Ahem! If you, for some weird reason, don’t want to stay on this wonderful Ultimate Retreat, then you have the option of going home, all by yourself! It’s simple, really! All you have to do is kill one of your fellow attendees and get away with it!”

 

The gym falls so silent, you could hear a pin drop. I can feel my heart pounding hard in my chest. My throat dries out fast and I try to breathe steadily so I don’t fall over. Underneath my hand, I can feel Takako gasping as well, then turning impossibly still as she stares, uncomprehendingly, at the bear. But even though everybody is shell-shocked, Monokuma isn’t finished.

 

“There are plenty of things you can use in this resort to commit a murder! Plenty of weapons in your Ultimate Labs, and in the infirmary, and scattered around the place! Plus, some of you even have your own weapons!” It gestures at Mari, who flinches away at the knife in her hand and immediately straps it back into the sheath on her thigh, as though scared by the mere thought of using it. “All you have to do is kill somebody else, and avoid getting caught by your friends here, and you’re home free!”

 

The silence is broken by Juro, but his voice is small when he asks. “When you say avoid getting caught, what do you…?”

 

“Well, obviously, if one of your friends decides to kill somebody else, the rest of you will have to investigate the murder and find the culprit! It’s no fun if all you have to do is kill and leave, you know?”

 

Kayoko’s glare hardens further. “Why would we want to investigate the murder? We’re kids, not police, we wouldn’t even know how to do it. How would we prove who the killer is, and come to a conclusion about it?”

 

At this, an odd glint appears in Monokuma’s red eye. “You’re going to want to investigate the murders that occur, Miss Takashima, for you see… if you all don’t catch the culprit and bring them to justice, and they get off scot-free… the rest of you get killed!” At those words, I feel my stomach twisting. “Upupupu, did you really think I’d just let you opt out of it? No way, that wouldn’t cause any despair at all, and I’ve been having cravings! After every murder, you’ll all get the opportunity to investigate the crime scene, and find out who the culprit is! After that amount of time is over, you’ll all head to the building across from this one, and have a trial to determine the killer!”

 

“A trial.” Keiji repeats softly. “You want us untrained kids to… do a trial, and solve a murder, or die? Dude…”

 

“Isn’t it wonderful? Ahh, it’s been so long since the last Killing Game, I’m so hyped that Kuramoto Cosmetics decided to give this option! So much better than me supervising you hormonal brats living peacefully together for the rest of time. That can wait until after you’ve beat the game!” It’s not making any sense, but I don’t know why I’m looking for sense from a thing like Monokuma. Its existence doesn’t make any sense to me.

 

I want to say that there’s no way Monokuma is being serious. That there’s no chance any of what it just described will actually happen. But it is speaking with such certainty, as though it knows blood will be spilled… beyond that, as much as I’d like to believe in everyone here… I’ve already lied to everyone, haven’t I, about the poisons? Not really a lie, per se, but a lie of omission. I wasn’t asked, but I sure didn’t tell, either. Who’s to say that they haven’t done the same thing, but on a larger scale? I can’t trust that nobody here will commit a murder. Even Takako. She shifts and my hand drops from her shoulder, but I barely notice.

 

There’s no way I’m going to kill anybody. That’s obvious. I need to find my sisters, and I’d be willing to do almost anything, but killing everybody in this room... ? No, I’ll find another way out. I have to. There’s absolutely no way. But the idea has been planted in everyone’s minds. I can feel the unease spreading throughout the group. People are looking at each other without seeing each other, perhaps trying to gauge their reactions, figure out if anyone is actually considering it. But it’s impossible to make a good judgement on the subject, one way or the other. Because nobody is going to  _ admit  _ they’re going to kill. The hive mindset is too strong. But silently, to themselves, they’ll be thinking about it. Whenever something bad happens. Whenever they think of their home. They’ll be considering it.

 

I can’t trust anybody here. As much as I’d like to rely on the others, have faith in their abilities and strengths, I can’t. I don’t know if anyone here can be trusted. Even Takako, even Taku, even Juro and Sayuri and Asahi. The only person I can rely on to get myself out of this mess is myself. That’s how things have always been, and-

 

“No.” Yuuto’s voice, clear and strong, breaks the silence, and all eyes fall on him. He’s stepped forward again, closer to Monokuma, and is bending down to look it in the eyes. Unlike everyone else here, doused in uncertainty and fear, Yuuto is calm. He exudes an air of authority, of impatience, of controlled anger. “Nobody here is going to be killing anybody else. I won’t allow that.”

 

Monokuma chuckles. “You won’t allow it, Mister Oyama? That’s interesting… they’re big words, though. How do you suppose you’ll keep everyone from killing?”   
  


“I won’t.” Yuuto says simply, and he says it so confidently, it’s hard not to believe what he’s saying. “It will be everyone here taking initiative for themselves, and deciding not to kill. Nobody here is going to commit a murder. I personally will take responsibility for getting each and every one of us out of here. If there was a way in to these premises, there is a way out. I’m going to find it. As the Ultimate Director, my talent lies in leading others. Thus it’s my job to get everyone out without a single person dead.”

 

The bear doesn’t speak, but it listens, intrigued. Yuuto doesn’t seem to care that Monokuma isn’t responding; instead, he turns around, to face the group, and I see the strength in his blue eyes. He isn’t smiling; it’s more like he’s scowling. But it seems like such a natural expression for him, I can’t help feeling reassured.

 

“Everybody, it is up to us collectively to make sure that not a single murder is committed. Is that something we all think we can try to do?”

 

“How?” Yuuki, who has been silent, along with a few others, this entire time, speaks up now, glaring at Yuuto as though she doesn’t trust him. “How can we do that? We can’t control each other.”   
  


“That’s true.” Yuuto agrees, nodding. “On a movie set, the way that we get things done is by having faith in each other, and in ourselves, and working together to achieve our common goals. We do that by communicating, and listening, and most of all, having faith in the director, and what I tell you. I can’t ask that you trust me entirely, but I do ask that you believe me when I say I am going to get everyone out without that killing game starting.”

 

“I trust you!” Emiko immediately says, bouncing up and down on her feet. (Understandable, considering that she’s pretty short and probably has to do so to see everything over the people in front of her.) “I mean, I know it’s pretty naive, but I’m a naive person! Not ‘cause I’m a pacifist though, I think I’m a pacifist  _ ‘cause  _ I’m naive, and not the other way around. Wow! I’m oversharing again. Anyway, Yuuto, right? You seem really reliable, so I’m gonna trust you! And you can trust me too, since, like, I’m the Ultimate Pacifist, so it would be pretty stupid if I tried to kill someone, right? That would defeat the whole purpose of being a pacifist! And by the way, I considering poisoning to be an act of violence, too, so I’m not gonna do that.”

 

“I don’t like that you’re just taking charge over all the fully capable women here,” Kayoko starts. “Because we can take care of ourselves, but for the sake of this, and since you’re a director and your movies always have really good representation, I’ll trust you too.” I don’t think that’s a very good reason to trust somebody, but alright.

 

Clearing his throat, Asahi steps forward, clapping Yuuto on the shoulder. “I trust you, Yuuto. You seem like the kind of person who’s willing to do whatever it takes to help others, and you shouldn’t be carrying that burden alone. You’ll have my support.” Yuuto swallows hard, muttering a thanks, but averts his gaze, and in the slightly yellow light of the gym, I think I see his face flush slightly.

 

“I’m going to trust you.” Sayuri says after a moment, smiling slightly. “I agree with Asahi, and there’s no way we’re going to survive this if we don’t put a little faith in someone else. Juro?” She looks at the guy in question, as though asking for his opinion. I’m marveling at the fact that they seem to be working together as a unit so soon after meeting, but just as the thought enters my mind, I notice Takako looking at me, and I meet her eyes. She’s looking to me to figure out my opinion, I think, for confirmation that Yuuto can be trusted. Does she really already have so much faith in my judgement…? She shouldn’t, that’s not…

 

“Me, too. You seem like a good guy, Yuuto.” Juro says genuinely, and Sayuri’s smile widens, as though she’s relieved to have received his agreement. I think Takako wants to trust Yuuto, too, and I know that I can only depend on myself, but if there’s anybody here who  _ isn’t  _ going to kill… it’s probably going to be Yuuto.

 

So I nod, a little bit, and smile, and Takako beams, turning her gaze onto Yuuto. “We’ll trust you.” She calls, and I notice that she shifts a little closer to me, but I don’t mind. We work pretty well together as a team, and she… reminds me of my sisters, so there are worse partnerships that could be made. I nod more obviously to add merit to her statement and direct my attention onto the Dirrector.

 

“I’m going to put my faith in you, Yuuto.” I tell him, and he meets my eyes, a serious expression on his face. “So…” I don’t say anything else, but I think he gets what I mean, because he nods, setting his jaw. For a shorter guy (I’m not being fair, he isn’t  _ that  _ short) he really does carry himself with a lot of weight. It’s admirable.

 

Mari brushes her ponytail over her shoulder. “You immediately stepped forward to protect the group when the first sign of danger was shown.” She points out airily. “You’ve got my support.”

 

“It’s dangerous to put total faith in one member of the group.” Keiji points out, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear. He sounds relaxed as he speaks, but his purple eyes flash dangerously, and I note that they have taken on a darker colour in the gym than in the hallway. “I’m going to trust that you’ll lead us properly, man, but I hope you understand that I can’t completely speak to your character at this moment in time.”

 

The rest of the people standing in here verbalise their agreement; even Yuuki speaks up, quietly telling Yuuto that even though he didn’t seem to know what euphoniums are, she’ll trust him anyway, which is pretty graceful for her, it seems. When she says the name of her instrument, Kayoko’s eyes brighten with familiarity, so maybe they have a chance together after all. Not that this is the time to be thinking about that sort of thing. Nonetheless, everybody in the group tells Yuuto he has our faith. Which seems to be proving my point about the hive mindset being powerful, but with a leader like Yuuto… maybe things will turn out okay. I can’t say that with certainty right now, because I can’t afford to be complacent, but…

 

“Aw…” Monokuma, who is still here, apparently, looks down, and though its face doesn’t change, I’d almost say it’s pouting. “You all forgot about me… I’m so sad… this always happens.”

 

“We don’t have time for your nonsense, Monokuma.” Yuuto says firmly, presumably emboldened by all the support he’s just received. “We’re going to begin looking for a way out immediately. There are parts of these facilities that we haven’t seen yet, and they need to be investigated in greater detailed. If you don’t have anything important left to say, then you might as well leave.”

 

“Fair point.” Monokuma concedes, shrugging. “I’ll be out of your hair, then. One more thing, though! In the dormitories assigned to each of you, there’s a device on your beds. Those are your Monopads, and you’ll need them to navigate your time here on the Ultimate Retreat! They have rules, and a map of the premises, and all sorts of fun stuff. Also, I’ll be sending in announcements through those- broadcasts, and stuff, during the night and evening, and if this teamwork thing falls through, body discoveries- so you’d better make sure to keep them on you at all times! Upupupu, I’m so excited to see you all despair!” With that said, Monokuma spins around, a trap door opens beneath it, and it disappears. The door vanishes as soon as it shows, and Mari steps forward to prod it with her foot, but it doesn’t budge.

 

“Ohhh, man.” As soon as Monokuma is gone, Kaoru sways a little on her feet, and Keiji places a steadying hand on her shoulder. “That was scary. I’m sorry guys, I should’ve said more against that bear thing, but I was paralysed.”

 

“Me, too.” Taku says kindly, tilting his head a little as he speaks to her. “Don’t feel bad about it… you shouldn’t be expected to be able to… talk back to that kind of a thing. It didn’t really… make any sense to me, either…”

 

“Taku,” Juro looks over at him. “That’s your name, right? Ultimate Grave Digger?”

 

“Huh? Oh, y-yes.” Taku nods quickly, meeting Juro’s eyes. “What is it?”

 

“How did you know about the retreat? When did you learn about it?” Juro asks. His tone isn’t hostile, more like genuinely curious. His gaze is gentle, though, which is perhaps why Taku doesn’t flinch away from it. “I’ve studied the Ultimate Foundation extensively, and I’m sure many of us here have, but this is the first time I’m hearing about it.”

 

“Well, to be honest…” Taku trails off, biting his lip. “I don’t attend regular school, as I’m sure a lot of you… could gather, based on my talent, but… I spend a lot of time reading the news, or anything I can get my hands on. Somebody did an informational article about the Ultimate Foundation a year ago or so, and the retreat was discussed.” He sighs. “I wish I could tell you more, but it’s been a while and I don’t remember much… I did find a book about the Foundation in the library, though, and I think it had information about the retreat… I’ll probably go back and keep reading it.”

 

“Then, can I join you?” Juro slides his hands into his pockets. “It’s alright if you think the company will make things uncomfortable for you reading, but I’d like to learn more about this myself, and why they decided to keep us here forever. I’m having a hard time believing the Ultimate Foundation, which is mostly benevolent, would take us like this… but I can’t think of anyone else it could be.”

 

“That’s fine… Yuuto, is it alright if we…?” Taku turns his attention onto Yuuto, who nods.

 

“I don’t mind. You don’t have to ask my permission.” He responds simply. “This is the kind of thing we should all be doing right now, anyway. It’s still pretty early in the afternoon, so we have some time to look around the premises before we should start thinking about dinner. Emiko, the kitchen was well-stocked, right?”

 

“Remarkably.” Emiko answers, nodding. “They had tons of stuff for all sorts of dietary restrictions! It was pretty incredible.”

 

“Oh, vegan options as well?” Kayoko asks, brightening.

 

“Heck yes!” Emiko grins. “Actually, if you guys want, I could probably try to cook something! I can’t guarantee that I’ll be the best cook, but I have some experience in the kitchen. My dads were always so good that I picked up a lot, you know? But, you guys will have to let me know your dietary restrictions and stuff ASAP.”

 

“That can happen.” Kayoko speaks again, tapping her chin. “I’ll get a list put together for you, Emiko, and help you out if I can. Um…” she looks over at Yuuki. “You’re Yuuki, right? The euphonium player?” I’m impressed; Kayoko remembered her name from when I told her earlier.

 

Yuuki seems surprised, like she wasn’t expecting to be brought into the conversation. “Y-Yeah, that’s me… you’re…?”

 

“Kayoko Takashima, the Ultimate Poet. I used to play in a band, but the euphoniums were always drowned out by the alto saxes. It was pretty annoying.” Kayoko rolls her eyes, but Yuuki visibly brightens, because it seems like Kayoko knows what euphoniums are. “Anyway, wanna come with me and help me out? It’s more fun with two.”

 

“O-Okay!” Yuuki nods, quickly, and I can tell that they’re going to get along, by the almost starry-eyed way that Yuuki is now looking at Kayoko.

 

“Can I join you and Taku?” Sayuri looks at Juro as she says this, fiddling with her gloves. “I’d like to learn more about the Ultimate Foundation myself.”

 

“I’ve got no problem with it.” Juro responds, almost sweetly, and looks over to Taku, who flashes a thumbs up. I look over to Takako, as everyone else starts breaking up into groups. Mari, Keiji, and Kaoru step back together, and I hear Kaoru say that she’d like to head back outside and check out that large dome over everything, to see if there’s really no way out. Keiji and Mari seem to be in unspoken agreement that they’ll go with her, which is good, because it’ll be easier for Kaoru if there are three of them. Asahi remains by Yuuto’s side, and they’re talking about something, but I find myself looking over to the couple Ultimates who I haven’t met yet. They’re chatting with Tsumugi, though she seems to be just listening, and I decide that now would be a pretty good time to meet them, before we all disperse.

 

“Hey, Takako, there are a couple things I want to check out in the basement, but first…” she seems to catch my drift and nods, gesturing at the two Ultimates I haven’t met yet.

 

“Let’s go meet ‘em, then!” She smiles, but falters momentarily. “Everything is going to be fine, right, Taro? Nobody’s going to kill anybody?”

 

I can’t guarantee that. It’s unfair that she’d ask me that kind of question, because there’s no way that I can give a definitive response. Still, I know why. She needs reassurance. And even if it’s not too honest, I can give it to her. A little white lie never hurt anybody. “Yeah. Everything’s going to be alright. Don’t worry.” I tell her, and she nods, though I think she can tell that I don’t know if it’s the truth. I suppose it’s the thought that counts.

 

With that out of the way, we walk across the gym to where Tsumugi, the DJ, and the Cartographer are standing.

 

The one who I haven’t seen speak yet, the Cartographer, is speaking as we arrive. He’s just a couple inches shorter than me, and his blonde hair is neatly styled, but wavy. His brown eyes are so dark that they’re black, really, and he wears a pair of clouded glasses that make it more difficult for me to see them. He’s wearing a beige jacket over a white button-down and a black necktie, as well as brown sneakers and pants. He has a bag slung over his shoulder with rolled up pieces of paper and notebooks inside. Presumably to do with his being a cartographer. “-I think it’s just a bad idea to trust that bear, is all.” He finishes, then his eyes widen when he sees Takako and me, but not in an unfriendly way.

 

“Hey, sorry to interrupt your conversation.” I say, offering a handshake. “I just wanted to meet you guys, since we haven’t talked yet.”

 

The Cartographer smiles, and I’m relieved that it makes his dark eyes seem a little brighter. “No problem, I’m sorry for being rude. I was just talking about how I want to head around and draft my own map of the resort. I’m sure any map Monokuma will give us will be done poorly, and I trust my skills as a cartographer more than I trust his desire to help us. I’m Hare Aoyama, the Ultimate Cartographer, by the way. Uhh, that means I do maps,” he adds unnecessarily, embarrassed. Despite the way his cheeks flush a little, he reaches out and shakes my hand.

 

“He’s legit.” The DJ points out. “This guy is in the process of creating a new map of Japan, did you hear? And he even discovered a new island! There is nothing more sexy than having a big brain. Though, being big in other places tends to help.”

 

I blink. “Nice to meet you, Hare, uhm…” I look at the DJ, not sure what to say.

 

“Right, sorry. Ahem, I’m Umi Fuji, the Ultimate DJ. You’re the Adventurer, or something, right?”

 

“That’s right.” I decide to disregard his earlier comment, in the hopes of not coming off as judgemental. “I’m Rantaro Amami. It’s nice to meet you.”

 

“Oh, man, please tell me these straight-player vibes I’m getting from you are incorrect. It’s so rare you meet a nice looking guy and he’s both gay and sincere.” Considering the subject matter, I think Umi is going about it the complete wrong way if he’s looking for sincerity.

 

I smile anyway, though it’s probably pretty strained. “I’m not really that kind of a guy, but I’m flattered anyway.” I say, and hope he doesn’t pursue the topic further.

 

Tsumugi seems to pick up on my discomfort and speaks. “Hare, if you want, I could come along with you to do the maps. I’m not very good at things like that, but I’m sure even the input of someone plain like me could be valuable!”

 

“You’re not plain, and I’d love the help.” Hare tells her, then speaks before she can contradict. “Umi, too, if you don’t mind… it’s not that I want you to work on the maps, I just like to have multiple sets of eyes, when I can… Rantaro, Takako, you two can come too, if you want.”

 

“We’ll pass.” Takako smiles lightly. “We have some other places around we want to check out.” I’m appreciative that she said it, and not me, because I’m still a little irritated over what Umi said.

 

Thankfully, none of them comment. Hare nods, then looks between Tsumugi and Umi. “Come on, then, we shouldn’t waste any time.” He pulls a notebook out of his bag and starts off towards the door. “If possible, we should find Yuuto and tell him that we’re…” his voice fades away as the three of them exit the gym, leaving Takako and me by ourselves. We stand in silence for a moment, but then she snorts, and I can’t help chuckling a little bit myself.

 

“Sorry, I should’ve warned you.” Takako apologises. “Umi doesn’t seem to be like that around girls, which is why it wasn’t at the forefront of my mind.” I wonder if Kayoko would like him, then… no, I don’t think she’s the type to forgive anybody who’s as blatant as Umi, no matter who their target audience is. I can respect that, at least. I snort and look at Takako, shaking my head.

 

“Don’t worry about it. I get those kinds of comments surprisingly often, so I’m kind of used to it.” I tell her, and she raises an eyebrow at me, but drops the subject.

 

“Okay. Then… let’s head down to the basement. I’m dying to see the library here.” She grins, taking my arm and leading me out of the gym. “I wonder if they have any good books on dancing… probably not anything I don’t already know, but still… I’m interested.” I follow wordlessly, deciding that I’ll have to find a time to take inventory of the poisons when Takako isn’t around. I might tell Yuuto, though, once I’ve done so, because it seems like the kind of thing he should know about.

 

I feel bad keeping this information from her, but… I don’t know. I don’t think it’s a good idea to put my trust in anyone but myself. I have to remind myself of it as much as possible, because if I let my guard down and somebody gets hurt as a result… I don’t think I’ll ever forgive myself.

 

Yikes. Such dark thoughts. I need to calm down a little bit. I mean, it’s difficult to be calm with the prospect of a killing game looming over our heads, but… 

 

The killing game… we won’t let it happen. There’s no way I’m going to let that happen. And with Yuuto in charge… it should be fine. Nobody is going to die. We’ll find a way out of here.

 

At least, that’s what I’m going to keep telling myself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hhhh UMI STOP BEING WEIRD
> 
> now you see why I held off on introducing him for so long,,,,, god,,,,,,,,,,, but every killing game has to have a pervert,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, hhhhhhhh
> 
> okay okay this is the end of the prologue so now we can really get the ball rolling >:) I know I keep saying that but I mean it for real this time
> 
> why are there almost 40k words in just the prologue can I literally just calm down for one (1) second
> 
> the answer is no I can't do that
> 
> hhdjbfbd comments are always really appreciated bye


	9. Chapter One [1]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rantaro sees the warehouse, and the game room.

The first thing that I become aware of upon entering the warehouse is that it is stocked very tightly. It’s larger than the library, though only slightly, and if I were the type of person to get overstimulated, I think being in this room would be extremely unpleasant for me.

 

I am faced with rows of boxes, and containers. There are countless grey shelves, and the scent of old plastic is rather poignant. The lighting is dim, as seems to be a common theme throughout this building, but I can see well enough to figure out some sort of organisation to all of the boxes and items in here. Food and spare kitchen items are off to my right. Regular things that one might look for in everyday life, including (but not limited to) toothbrushes, toothpaste, extra changes of clothes, and, as Takako said, menstrual products, are around the middle, and to my left there is an assorted batch of items that don’t really fall into any one category. I note the presence of many pieces of sports equipment, including a couple skateboards, and I make a mental note to tell Keiji about them later.

 

Monokuma mentioned that those locked doors upstairs lead to “Ultimate Labs”, where we’re supposed to work for the betterment of our talents. I’m really not sure what they’re going to put in Emiko’s or Asahi’s labs- or mine, for that matter, but Keiji’s will definitely have a skateboard rink of some variety. Skateboards, too. But for the moment, as they’re all locked right now, I think he’ll be happy to know that these skateboards are here.

 

“It’s kind of overwhelming in here.” I remark, moving over to the sports equipment and wiping off some dust from a baseball bat with my thumb. A small voice in the back of my head tells me that this could be used as a murder weapon but I brush off the concern, knowing that there’s nothing I can do about it other than try to reinforce what Yuuto seems to be putting in place. It’s not like I can just take all the bats for myself. I doubt people will get the impression that I’m doing it to protect them, rather than to give myself the upper hand. “They really meant it when they said we’d be staying here forever, huh?”

 

“I don’t think this is enough food to sustain sixteen teenagers for the rest of their lives…” Takako points out, and I look over at her. Her brown eyes are fixed on the shelves that are lined with preserved foods. And she’s right, of course. From where I’m standing, everything looks plentiful, but I’m sure the food supplies will diminish over time. Maybe they’ll be replenished, but I don’t see how that’s possible without some way to leave and reenter the premises from the outside. Which… means there has to be a way out, right? “We shouldn’t eat this food right now, though. We should focus on the perishables. This stuff is bound to last for a really long time.”   
  


“You’re right.” I agree, and step away from the sports equipment, wandering over to the middle section of the room. I breeze past the  _ feminine needs  _ and peer at the spare changes of clothes which have been provided. There are a number of swimsuits, as well, which I find to be odd because there isn’t really anywhere to swim here. The clothes are, as Takako said before, fairly plain. Definitely not my style, but I’d probably wear them if I had to. There are shirts and sweatpants and stuff of a wide variety of sizes- from Emiko’s size to Asahi’s. So it looks like the Ultimate Foundation was really prepared for us, specifically, to be here. That’s what all the evidence thus far has suggested, at any rate.

 

Chewing her thumbnail, Takako stops next to me, follows my gaze with her eyes. “...at least it isn’t black and white.” She finally says, and I laugh slightly, shaking my head.

 

“That is an odd design choice on the Ultimate Foundation’s part, isn’t it?” I’m happy to see her smile when I speak, because the concern furrowing her brow for the past ten minutes has been worrying to me. Not that it’s anything that I should be surprised about, given the circumstances; we’ve just been put in a resort and told we’ll have to stay here forever or all die so one person can get out, but I guess I’m just used to spending time around people who are as good at hiding their emotions as I am. I can read Takako like a book. It’s evident to me that she’s worried.

 

Just as she’s about to say something else, the door to the warehouse opens and closes behind us, and I turn around, looking over to see who’s just walked in. Kayoko smiles slightly as she removes her hand from the door knob. Yuuki looks somewhat unimpressed by the room, perhaps because she’s been here already, but she’s smiling, so I can assume that she and Kayoko have been getting along just fine.

 

“I thought I’d find you two in here!” Kayoko chirps, though I’m not really sure  _ how.  _ Nonetheless, she walks over, notebook in hand, and Yuuki remains at her side. “We’re just here to grab your dietary restrictions for Emiko.”

 

“Oh, of course.” I nod. “I don’t have any.” I mean, maybe I did, at one point, but I’ve traveled so much and eaten so many different kinds of foods that I’m pretty sure my stomach could fight off armies by itself. It’s probably the strongest thing about me. Kayoko simply nods and writes that down before looking at Takako.

 

“I’m allergic to shellfish.” Takako supplies cheerfully, and Kayoko raises her eyebrows as she copies it down. “I know, it’s tragic, living in Japan. Practically everything we eat is seafood related!” Takako sighs, as though this is, as she said, a huge tragedy. I find myself suppressing a smile. “But yeah, I don’t know. I had a really bad reaction when I was like, four, and I’ve avoided them like the plague since.”

 

Yuuki offers, “I don’t think Emiko knows how to prepare shellfish, so you’re probably safe.” Her tone is just as aloof as it’s been all the times she’s spoken to me just far, but I’m starting to get the impression that she doesn’t act this way out of a place of genuine dislike. She’s just passionate about her instrument. I can’t be surprised, seeing as she’s an Ultimate, and all.

 

“So far, we’ve got Emiko herself, being vegetarian, Taku is lactose intolerant,” I remember that from before. “Juro isn’t allergic to anything but he said he refuses to eat cilantro-” Takako’s eyebrows shoot up. “I know, he’s a monster.” Kayoko says it good naturedly, though, so I think she likes Juro despite her words. “And Yuuto can’t eat chocolate.”

 

“Nooo!” Takako puts a hand on her chest. “That’s awful!”

 

“How does he survive?” I add, even though I’ll admit I wouldn’t be that torn up about it. I’m not a picky eater, but most kinds of chocolate are too sweet for me. It’s rare to come across chocolate as dark and rich as I like it to be- which, admittedly, I can afford to eat when I want to, with my father’s wealth and all the places that I’ve been to- so suffice to say that I’m not much of a chocolate fanatic.

 

Kayoko seems to agree with our sentiments. “I’ve added your shellfish thing to the list, hun.” She tells Takako, smiling. “I’ll let you guys go, now, but we’ll be around if you need anything.” Yuuki nods, as though to add merit to her words (though I didn’t doubt her to begin with) and the two of them leave. The door closes behind them and Takako and I stand in silence for a moment before she looks over at me.

 

“Is there anything else that you wanted to look at in here, Taro?” Takako asks, brushing her braid over from one shoulder to the other. I consider the question, because I want to be thorough, but I don’t know how much there is in here that’s worth looking at. A thorough sweep of the warehouse might be a good idea, of course, because even though everything in here seems, on the surface, to be an ordinary every-day item, there might be weapons scattered or hidden throughout. I should be diligent. But I don’t think there’s much time for that, and I have other things that I’d like to investigate. Takako still needs to see the library, the infirmary, and the movie room, too.

 

So I shake my head. “C’mon, let’s check out the game room next.” I say, and she smiles slightly before falling into step next to me. We exit the warehouse and step out into the lounge. I lengthen my stride to step over a couple pillows and stop in front of the door to the game room as Takako giggles into her hand. I know it’s extra, but there are few things I won’t do if it means making people smile.

 

“I liked the atmosphere when I was in there before,” Takako tells me, in regards to the game room. “I mean, you’ll see for yourself in a second, but it’s nice.” Having said that, she reaches out and turns the doorknob, pushing in and leading the way into the room. I clasp my hands behind my back and bow slightly as I enter, noting almost immediately the difference in lighting between the lounge and the game room.

 

Noticeably, the lights in here have a more bluish tint than some of the other rooms I’ve been in. The walls are grey, which is pleasant on the eyes, and though there aren’t any windows (which makes sense, as we are currently in the basement) there are plenty of posters on the wall that aid the room in being more low-key than some of the others.

 

Just as Takako told me less than an hour ago, there is a pool table on the left side of the room and a foosball table on the right. In the far right corner, a safe distance away from the foosball table, there are a few arcade machines and directly in front of us there is a small table, surrounded by four comfortable looking chairs, with several decks of cards and a couple magazines sitting on top. In the far left corner, there is a folded ping pong table, but it looks like there isn’t any room for it to be unfolded unless the pool table was moved to the side. Considering how strong all of the other Ultimates here are, I don’t have any doubt that it’ll be possible. But I don’t really want to think about table tennis when I still have to get out of here and get back to searching.

 

I brush the thoughts aside and walk over to the pool table, examining the assortment of pool cues that are lining the wall next to it. A few unopened boxes of blue chalk are sitting on the pool table as well. (The shade is familiar to me for some reason but I ignore the thought as it pops into my head, deciding that it’s probably irrelevant. I’ve played pool, before, so that’s probably it.) I reach out and l lift one of the cues off the wall, examining it. It’s entirely unmarked, except for the places where I’m now touching it, and this seems to be the case with all of them. I replace the cue on the wall and turn around, looking at the pool table again. The balls are all kept in the center of the table, arranged in a triangle shape, except for the cue ball, which has rolled off to the side as though bumped.

 

It was probably just the result of somebody else- maybe Takako- being in here before me and walking past the table. I slip around it and walk over to the foosball table, noting that the foosballs are still in the goals, and the points at either end of the table are undisturbed. Perfectly centered. Either it’s never been touched, or whoever touched it before took great care to return it to its original state. I give the ping pong table a moment of my attention, noting that in a net hanging off the side there are four paddles and two ping pong balls, before walking over to the arcade machines.

 

They’re both powered off, but this is due to the fact that they’re unplugged, rather than any other reason. I don’t think they require charging, or anything like that. Experimentally, I plug one in and tap the power button, watching as the screen flickers on and turns a dark blue colour.

 

Takako stops at my side. “In the mood for  _ PacMan _ , eh?” She jokes, and I wiggle my eyebrows at her but shake my head. Really, I’m just wondering what games they have on here. When the machine has fully powered on, I scan the list- there are a couple car driving games, a rhythm game,  _ Galaga,  _ and indeed  _ PacMan  _ as well as a couple others that I’m unfamiliar with. The majority of them seem space themed. I’ve never been that interested in video games, but I thought it was worth checking, anyway. I release the joystick and tap the power button again, pulling the chord from the wall in the interest of saving power. It’s a strange thought, admittedly, because I certainly don’t want to do the people who put us here any favours by lessening their electricity bill, but at the moment, with all the perishable foods we have… it would suck if our power went out.

 

I step over to the table and lean over, scanning the cards that are placed there. Upon second glance, it seems that there are a few regular decks of cards, the type you’d use for gambling- but also a few card games. The only one I recognise is  _ Uno,  _ but I’m still a bit glad for the variety. I don’t care much at all about the magazines here, but I do look under the table, and note that upon closer observation, they have several board games as well. This place is nothing if not well-stocked. Though I imagine everything here will eventually become boring once we spend enough time with it.

 

Sucking in and releasing a deep breath, I look over at Takako. “Okay, we can move on.” I say, and she nods, smiling slightly. As we walk out of the room, she speaks again.

 

“I’m just saying, I’m really good at mancala _.  _ I know all the best tricks.” She boasts, and I raise my eyebrows at her, because I’m not too bad myself, but I still allow for a small smile, because if she speaks with that much confidence, I’m sure her mancala skills are worth bragging about.

 

“I’ll have to see them for myself sometime, then.” I respond, sliding my hands into my pockets. “But we’ll have to discuss the rules beforehand, yeah? It’s been a while since I’ve played.”

 

“Sounds good by me.” Takako chirps, and then we stop in front of the door to the movie room. Without much else to say, I grab the door and hold it open for her as she steps inside, looking around. I left the light on when I left before, that’s pretty embarrassing. The room is the same as I left it before, and Takako doesn’t take long looking around. She seems to examine the popcorn machine, though for what, I can’t be sure, but when she walks over to me, her nose is wrinkled, like she’s unhappy. “That thing is gross. I don’t know how long it’s been since it’s been used, but it could really use a scrub down. There are bags of unpopped popcorn kernels over there, though,” she adds airly, glancing over again.

 

“Huh. It’s weird that it wouldn’t be in pristine condition. It seems like almost everything else here was made specifically for us, so it can’t be that old,” I remark, and Takako hums her agreement. She glances at the DVDs and cassette tapes briefly, but seems to lose interest almost immediately, because she steps away from them and returns to my side a moment later, saying that she’d like to go check out the library and the infirmary now. After she’s ducked out of the room, I flick off the light and close the door gently behind me.

 

I allow my hands to swing at my sides as I follow Takako over to the library. Maybe due to excitement, she doesn’t wait for me when she enters the room, but I don’t mind, or comment. I just grab the door before it closes behind her and step inside, closing my eyes and inhaling the scent of old books. Already the musty scent of this room is becoming familiar to me. I’ve always liked libraries. It’s actually pretty bad that I’m getting used to it so quickly, but no matter. Takako disappears behind a shelf, maybe to peruse some books on her own, but I notice that Juro, Sayuri, and Taku are sitting in a beanbag chair and talking about the book that Taku is holding (they must have brought it in from the lounge) so I walk over to hear their conversation.

 

“There it is,” Juro is saying. He smiles at me when I come over but continues, maybe assuming that I can fill in the blanks myself. “ _ ‘For the past decade and a half, the Ultimate Foundation has hosted a retreat for sixteen of their newest Ultimates.’  _ Oh, wait, but…” he narrows his eyes at the text, a frown appearing on his face. “That’s weird.”

 

“What are you looking at?” Taku asks quietly, pushing down his glasses and leaning closer to the book, only for his eyes to widen when he presumably sees what Juro is referring to. “Oh!  _ ‘Last year, however, due to an accident on one of the trips, the Ultimate Foundation decided to put the retreats on an indefinite hiatus. Since then, they’ve put out no public word about them, other than that they might return someday.’  _ When was this book published?” Taku gently pulls the book from Juro’s hold and sticks his thumb in to hold their place, flipping back to the front cover and scanning for the year of publication. “Ah, almost four years ago… so… the accident happened about five years… ago…” he bites his lip, then jumps, as though just noticing me. “Rantaro, hey!”

 

“Hi,” I greet, chuckling slightly. This is the second time he’s been startled by my arrival in this room. “Is this the first thing you guys have been able to figure out?”

 

“Uh-huh.” Sayuri nods. “Well, actually, that’s not true. Another thing is that the Ultimate Foundation doesn’t have the resources to host the retreats, usually. They need sponsors, being a non-profit group. But that was all really dry reading and I’ve always been terrible at that stuff, so I didn’t pick up on anything else.”

 

Taku presses his lips together when he looks at her, but Sayuri just laughs slightly, like she’s unembarrassed. He eventually sighs, shaking his head with what I might call a fond or endeared smile in her direction. “You got the gist of it, though.” He offers, rubbing the back of his neck. (Juro takes the book from him when it tips a little bit on his lap.) “Uhm… I might be wrong, but I… think the sponsor for this one is Kuramoto Cosmetics. I mean, that’s what they’ve been saying all this time, but…”

 

“Doesn’t the CEO of Kuramoto Cosmetics have a son who has an Ultimate Talent?” I frown, trying to remember. “It makes sense that they’d sponsor this. But what I don’t understand…”

 

“The killing game thing.” Juro guesses. “Monokuma says the killing game was Kuramoto’s idea. They offered a way for us to get out of here, by killing everybody else.”

 

“Technically,” I tap my chin in thought. “You’d… only be killing one person, with your own hands. Just dooming everybody else to death. Not,” I add. “That that’s a justification. It’s still killing everybody. But…” I shrug. I half said it only to test their reactions, see if any of them will be uncomfortable with the clarification, but the three of them barely respond. Taku looks nervous, but he’s seemed pretty nervous since Juro mentioned the killing game.

 

“I don’t think it was Kuramoto’s idea.” Sayuri says quietly.

  
“Hm?” Juro looks over at her, brows raised slightly. “What do you mean?”

 

“I…” she frowns, looking conflicted, then shakes her head. “Nah, it’s nothing. Just a feeling. I’m probably wrong, anyway.”   
  


“I wanna hear what you’re thinking.” Juro tells her, smiling a little. “I’m sure it’s valuable, even if it’s not necessarily the case. It’s important to get everybody’s input in these kinds of situations. Besides,” he adds, scratching the back of his head. “I’d want to know what you’re thinking even if I didn’t think there was any merit to it.” Well, that’s cute, but it’s been barely more than an hour? Can these people get their hormones under control, please?

 

Still, Sayuri blushes slightly, messing with her gloves. “Okay… I just…” she clears her throat. “I don’t think the killing game is something that Kuramoto Cosmetics came up with by itself. Like, I think… I think that the chances of it just being a new thing are… really rare.” She struggles to continue. “Think about it. The way Monokuma talked like he’s done this before. Like our reactions were things he was expecting. And…” Sayuri hesitates. “I… no, nevermind, that’s not important.” She laughs nervously, and for a moment I’m sure that Juro is going to try to encourage her again, but he just nods, like he’s going to respect what she wants to and doesn’t want to share. (Pretty respectful choice, on his part.)

 

“You’re… right.” Taku murmurs, chewing his thumbnail. “I mean, I don’t understand why a killing game would ever occur, but it seems too detailed for it to be a one-off thing.” He hums. “I am also… disinclined, so to speak, to trust our trip planner.” His expression shifts into a wry smile and I can’t help returning it a little.

 

“I wouldn’t trust the bear with a grain of salt.” Juro agrees. “That’s a good observation, Sayuri. I was so overwhelmed by the insinuation that we’d be killing each other that I didn’t pick up on those finer details. Thank you for noticing it.”

 

“Huh? Oh, no problem, I…” she trails off again. “Well, I deal with a lot of people who say nonsense like that. Picking out the important things in what they say is kind of my specialty.” She smiles sheepishly, averting her gaze like she’s not sure what else to say. I can’t help feeling like she’s been kind of put on the spot, as much as she’s still smiling, so I speak up.

 

“Do you think that maybe that has something to do with your talent? Maybe you’re like… the Ultimate Babysitter or something. Good with dealing with kids and picking up on the serious things in what they say.” I offer, and Sayuri raises her eyebrows at me, finally getting back her more confident, admittedly a little dry, smile.

 

“Babysitter? You’d have to be much more than a babysitter to deal with that bear… but… no, I don’t think I was a babysitter. Cute talent, though.” She snorts, shaking her head. “Maybe Asahi would be the butt of less incest jokes if that was his title, rather than Ultimate Older Brother.”

 

“What? Incest jokes?” I feel my faith in humanity evaporating. “Do people really…?”

 

“It’s tragic.” Juro shakes his head. “Not that I’m very down with the times, but I read an article about Asahi once before I accepted my title as the Ultimate Spy, and almost the whole piece was just a woman in her mid-forties comparing Asahi to somebody with a sister or brother complex in an anime.” He pauses, squints at me. “You know, I get the same laid back, protect, mediator vibes from  _ you,  _ Rantaro. Got any siblings?”

 

“Bye, Juro.” I walk away as he starts laughing, and Sayuri swats his shoulder. Taku looks at them for a moment, a moritified look on his face, before putting down the book and getting to his feet, jogging over to catch up with me.

 

I slow down from a power walk to let him catch up, realising that I should probably wait for Takako before booking it altogether. She must be in the infirmary now, because I don’t see her. Taku stops at my side. “Can I tag along with you and Takako? I didn’t look around very much earlier because I…” he stops, and I remember what he said, about getting overstimulated. I imagine he doesn’t travel very much, being homeschooled. And cemeteries, while perhaps not my favourite hangout spots, are pretty low-key, so I can imagine why he’d feel a bit overwhelmed in a place like this.

 

Also, even though Juro’s teasing from two seconds ago is still fresh in my mind, I do feel protective of Taku. So I nod. “Sure, there are some things upstairs and outside that Takako and I should check out.” I say with a smile. Just as the words leave my mouth, the door to the infirmary opens, and Takako steps out. I make a mental note to go back there, maybe at night, and take inventory of all the poisons. That’ll be the best time to do it. But I shut off the thoughts when she gets over in the interest of not letting on what I’m thinking.

 

“I would hate to be in there when I’m sick.” She comments, and I chuckle, because my sentiments upon leaving the room where similar. Taku smiles at her, a small, shy expression, and I decide I should probably explain for him.

 

“Taku is gonna be joining us,” I tell her, and she grins, offering him a fist bump. (He accepts it, looking a bit surprised.)

 

“Awesome! We could always use a third pair of eyes. You know that building across the courtyard, Taro?” She looks at me when she says this, and I nod, thinking back to it. “Monokuma said it’s where the trials are gonna be held. I know Mari and Sayuri said it’s unavailable, but I want to check it out. We can look around outside a bit while we’re at it. Taku, do you play the piano, at all?”   
  


“Oh, I know the beginning of Clair de Lune.” He answers, tilting his head to the side. “And I can read sheet music fairly well… why?”

 

“Great! There’s a piano in the gazebo, maybe that’ll be fine.” Takako then strides to the exit, pulling the door open. “Not a moment to waste! We have things to look at! Taro, Taku, let’s go!” She doesn’t wait for us to respond before stepping through. I snort, and Taku smiles at me, though he looks a little bit confused.

 

“I think she’s trying to energise you,” I explain, and he raises his eyebrows, but nods regardless. I feel a flutter of appreciation in my chest for Takako’s enthusiasm. It seems to be helping Taku feel a little better. And me, too, for that matter. With that thought fresh in my mind, I steel my nerves and gesture for Taku to step out the door, so I can follow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> why did this take me so long to write????? only god knows I guess lmao dsjbajbsd
> 
> I'm such an ASS and also an irresponsible one. I'll probably be working on another ficlet tonight though kekeke because I finally managed to get off my rear end and take out my laptop,, this hasn't been a very productive week basically
> 
> (it's Tuesday and my standards are also impossibly high apparently)
> 
> at any rate.... hope y'all enjoyed this one :))))) there are a lot of things in here that'll make more sense in time. I'm sure y'all know what's goin' on with Sayuri, but kekekekekekeke there's more than just Sayuri going on here
> 
> anyway uwuwu maybe I'll get the next chapter out in less than two weeks this time
> 
> bye gang, comments are great


	10. Chapter One [2]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rantaro sees his room for the first time.

There isn’t much to find at the building that Sayuri and Mari didn’t already tell us. When Taku, Takako, and I arrive in front of it, I jiggle both of the doors again to make sure, but it seems like they’re both locked. Thinking back to what Mari said about breaking down the door, I figure that might not be a bad idea, but then again… Monokuma said that this would be where trials are held.

  
The idea is that we don’t have to hold trials in the first place, so maybe we’re better off just not seeing the inside of the building in general.

 

“Hey, Taro, what are you-” before Takako can finish that thought, there’s a loud noise from behind me, and she screams. I flip around, eyes wide, only to see that in the space right next to where Takako was just standing, there is now a black and white teddy bear, bouncing up and down. Takako appears to have moved far away, understandably, and Taku is a bit noticeably shaken as well, but he’s shifted his body so that he’s standing in front of her, perhaps to act as a shield between her and the bear.

 

“Geez, am I that scary?” Monokuma asks, looking down at the ground and shuffling from one of its stubby feet to the other. I’d almost feel bad for it, but considering the situation we’re all in, I’m not inclined to be particularly empathetic, if I’m being genuine.

 

“What do you want, Monokuma?” I ask, figuring that it’s probably here with a reason. The bear lifts its head, an odd glint piercing its red eye. Though it’s virtually nothing but a toy, it’s a remarkably threatening look, and I feel unsettled by it despite myself. Still, I take a breath to steel my nerves, because I’ve faced off against scarier than this bear before.

 

“If you really wanna just cut to the chase, fine! You protagonist types are always so no-nonsense…” I’m not even going to bother trying to unpack that. “Anyway, stop trying to get into this building! I already had to go scare off Miss Shirogane and her minions, I don’t need you idiots trying to get in too!” The bear grumbles, shaking its head. “If you’re really determined to get in here, why don’t you commit a murder, or something?”

 

“That’s not going to happen.” I tell Monokuma, and cross my arms. “Why don’t you want us poking around here? Is there something in this building that you don’t want us to see?”

 

Steam shoots out of Monokuma’s ears; it’d be comical if the bear hadn’t already told us we need to kill each other. “No! I just don’t allow spoilers! Get outta here, you brats! Don’t make me ask you again!” Before I can say anything else, the bear spins on its heel and disappears through a panel on the ground, and as soon as it’s gone, the panel vanishes as well, just like what happened in the gym. I want to go poke at it, but I know it’s not going to yield any results, so I just take a breath and refrain, glaring at the ground where the bear was just standing. Not that I’d like the annoying bear regardless of whether or not it’s on our side, but everything that’s been happening so far is just giving me more incentive to hate it.  


“Rantaro?” That’s Taku. He steps forward, frowning. “Maybe it would be a good idea to listen to Monokuma for now. I don’t think we’ll need to see the trial room, anyway.” He inhales. “Because… you know, because Yuuto said he’d get us out of here before… any killing has to happen.”

 

He’s right, of course, but I’m still hesitant to let go of my anger. Still, I manage to take a deep breath and force myself to calm down, putting on a relaxed smile. “You’re right, sorry.” I tell him, looking up and hoping I seem more at ease. “It’s just frustrating, is all.”  


“No kidding.” Takako loses the fright that took over her when Monokuma appeared, rolling her shoulders as though in an attempt to relax as well. “C’mon, maybe we should go and look at our dorm rooms. That seems like a pretty important place to check.”

 

Taku agrees, and I think it’s as good an idea as any, so we make our way back down the path and into the building. On the way back, we pass Kaoru, Mari, and Keiji- the two girls say hi, and Keiji gives us a two-fingered salute, so I offer a smile, but I lack the energy to do much else. Taku and Takako start chatting amiably as we walk down the hallway towards the atrium, and I try to listen in, but I eventually resign myself to thought as we make our way past the doors that line the halls.

 

There must be sixteen of them here, if there’s a lab for each one of us. Upon closer examination, each of the doors has a small symbol engraved into the wood. I wonder when they’ll open up. Monokuma said they’re not ready yet, and that’s why they’re not available, but… when _will_ they be ready? Who’s working on them? Are the people working on them also trapped inside the academy, or are they able to come and go as they please? Because if that’s the case, then… well, it’s like what I thought before, with the food. There’s got to be a way out of here.

 

“We’re here,” Takako’s voice finally manages to cut through my thoughts and I snap out of my reverie, looking around. We’re back in the atrium where I woke up. The lighting contrast between here and the hallway is so stark my eyes water a little, but I adjust fairly quickly and blink away the moisture that suddenly surfaced. Taku is looking around with wide eyes- likely because he hasn’t been in here yet- but his gaze finally falls on a door that’s next to Takako’s.

 

“Oh, that one is mine, I guess…” he mumbles, then looks over at me. “I’m… gonna go look inside mine. Monokuma mentioned something about… uhm… what was the word he used?... Monopads. I don’t know what those are, but he said there are rules on them, so I think it’s important we look at them.” Taku nods to himself. “Also… if we’re gonna be staying here for a bit… we should get used to the place where we’re going to be sleeping.”  


“Yeah, me too! We didn’t look earlier because we figured we’d be leaving soon, but we should check out our rooms!” Takako smiles. “We should meet back up in here after we’re all done looking around our rooms, though, okay? Taro?”

 

“Sounds good.” I nod, because I think it’s a pretty good idea, and with nothing else to say, the three of us disperse. I head over to my door, noting that Emiko’s room is to my right and Kayoko’s is to my left. That might be relevant later. There’s also a winding staircase nearby that leads to a second floor of dorms, and I glance up to see who’s directly above me. Seems like it’s Asahi. Having noted that, I reach out and turn the knob, not entirely sure what to expect.

 

The door is unlocked, though, so I get in without a problem. I’m immediately faced with darkness, but I grope along the wall to my right and eventually find a lightswitch. As soon as my fingers close around it and I’m certain of what it is, I flick it on, and the room is flooded with a pleasant, green tinted light. Having figured that out, I go ahead and close the door behind me, looking down at the inside door knob. There’s a lock on the knob itself, as well as a deadbolt, and a chain lock, which seems kind of excessive, but then I remember that Monokuma probably brought us here fully intending to make us kill each other. So it makes sense to me that there’d be that much of a system in place. Even though I want to trust the others here, I end up locking all three of the locks before I turn around.

 

I’m pleasantly surprised to see the way the room is laid out. To my left there’s a large wardrobe, and the door is open a crack revealing clothing inside there, but I can’t see exactly what’s hung up in there from where I’m standing, so I resolve to check on it later. To my right, there’s a large shelf, with an abundance of small souvenirs from places all around the world placed about six centimeters away from each other. Curious, I walk over to look at them, wondering about the places the souvenirs are from. They aren’t _mine,_ because I know what souvenirs I bring, but I’m still intrigued by them.

 

Barcelona, Saigon, the Bermuda Triangle, Paris, London, San Francisco, Venice… I’ve been to all of those places. I don’t think there’s a place that I’ve been to that doesn’t have a souvenir here for it. There are even baskets and small pieces of hand-made jewelery here to represent the smaller places I’ve been, the ones without gift shops. I see stuff from the Hoover Dam, Brasilia, Canberra… oh, but that’s strange. I pick up a small snowglobe from the far right side of the bottom shelf. I’ve never been to Albany before, have I? I think I’d remember going to the capital of New York, it’s a pretty famous state…

 

As I try to think back on it, a sharp jolt goes through my head, like someone just shot me, and I stifle a yelp, dropping the snow globe on the floor. Thankfully, the floor is carpeted, and the snow globe is made out of plastic, not glass, so it doesn’t break, but it rolls and bumps into the shelf. The small white particles inside the plastic bubble are disturbed and they start to swirl around. I remove my hand from the side of my head, blinking out the tears that formed with the sudden pain. It’s receding, now, almost as quickly as it came, but I’m not sure where that even came from. Is it possible that I was last in Albany, and that’s where the Ultimate Foundation got me? That doesn’t really make sense, though…

 

I kick the snow globe to the side and turn away from the shelf. There’s a nightstand with a box of tissues and a lamp on it. The lampshade is green, with golden embroidery, and when I look at the bed, I see the comforter on top is the same colour and pattern. There are several pillows at the head of the bed. It’s made very nicely. There’s also what appears to be a blue tablet on the bed but I’ll attend to it when I’m done with everything else.

 

Thank god, there’s a window in here; green curtains are closed in front of it but gentle light creeps through regardless. I move forward and draw them, peering through the window, but am disappointed to see that the glass is the same translucent sanded glass as all the other windows here. That’s so _strange._ Not only is it a peculiar design choice, I just can’t think of a reason why they’d do that, other than to make it more difficult to see through the windows. I wonder what’s on the other side of this… I look at the bottom of the window, wondering if there’s a latch I can undo. There is, so I unlock it and push the window open, but it only goes out a few inches, enough for me to see gravel directly beneath the window but nothing else. A slight breeze comes through when I do so. It’s pretty weird, though, because based on what I know of the layout of this building, it doesn’t make sense for there to be a window here.

 

Regardless, there’s no point speculating on it now. I shut and latch the window again, closing the curtains and moving away from there. There’s a bathroom across from the bed and nightstand. I peek inside and see that there’s a number of towels stacked on the bathroom sink, and a shower, as well as bottles of shampoo and soap. It’s a bit disturbing, though, because upon closer examination I see that they’ve got my preferred type of shampoo and conditioner. I don’t really want to know how the Ultimate Foundation figured out that I like papaya scented conditioner, even if it does work out a bit in my favour. I turn off the bathroom light, which was on before I even walked in, and leave the door open behind me.

 

With nothing else in here to check on, I walk to the wardrobe and pull open the door that was already slightly ajar. It’s a bit disturbing- they’ve got at least six other copies of the large blue shirt that I’m wearing, as well as the couple undershirts (what can I say, I like layers) and brown pants. It’s nice that they know my taste, I guess, though I’d prefer it if there was a little variety in here. In a box on the floor of the wardrobe there are several copies of my jewelery- my rings, bracelets, and even my earrings. I make a face and look away from the box. On a shelf at the top of the wardrobe there are spare pillows and blankets that match the colour scheme of the bed so I can assume what they’re there for. I close the wardrobe and, seized by a sudden curiosity, walk back over to the nightstand and pull open the drawers.

 

There’s nothing of interest in the first drawer, just some pens and notepads, for what purpose I’m not sure… but in the second drawer I see there’s a key with a piece of wood attached to it that has my name on it, and I grab it out, weighing it in my palm. It probably unlocks my door. When I look closely I see there are actually two keys; one for the top lock and one for the bottom. I’m concerned about how I’ll figured out which is which for a second before I see that on one key there is the word “top” engraved into the metal, and the same goes for the other key, except with the word “bottom”, and it doesn’t take an expert to figure out the implications of that. I slide the keys into my pocket.

 

Finally, I move over to the bed and take a seat on the mattress, grabbing the tablet and tapping the power button with my index finger. It powers on, showing my name, RANTARO AMAMI, in fancy white letters. I swipe the screen and it opens up to a home screen, of sorts, with a number of icons.

 

The icons are named as follows: Truth Bullets, Camera, Notepad, Your Fellow Attendees, Rules, Monokuma File and finally Map. I ignore the map for now, because I trust Hare more as the Ultimate Cartographer than I do Monokuma as a general rule of thumb, and instead attempt to open up the truth bullets. A notification appears on the screen that tells me that I’ll have to wait for an investigation to use that app. I scowl, hoping I never _need_ to use it. The camera is pretty self explanatory- though when I open it up the camera is apparently set in selfie mode, so I end up jumpscared by my own face, which pretty much sucks. The notepad is just a place where I can take notes, and it looks like it has a drawing feature, as well.

 

The Your Fellow Attendees app is intriguing, though. I open it up and see that there are sixteen profiles there listed, presumably for each of us here at the resort. I check out my own, out of curiosity, and note that they’ve got my name listed, as well as my Ultimate Talent, and a brief description of physical attributes. Nothing like hair and eye colour, though- my height, weight, and strangely chest size are written in. (Do they have that for the girls, too?... how indecent.) My blood type is also written, though I’m not sure how they got that information, and there’s a picture of me featured on the right. I don’t mind the picture, but I don’t really remember it being taken, so that’s a little weird.

 

Nonetheless, I note that my birthday is there too, and they’ve got a like and a dislike marked down. They’re right that I hate cars- though I guess I’ll ride in one if I _really_ have to- and I do really enjoy extraterritorial rights, though that’s a pretty random thing for them to call attention to, haha. I wonder if this profile is the same one everyone else sees, for me? Probably.

 

Though I don’t _really_ care about knowing the weights and chest sizes of everyone else here, I check out all their profiles one by one, starting with Takako’s.

 

 **Name:** Takako Miyake

 **Height:** 5’6”

 

I skip over the weight and bust size because I frankly couldn’t be bothered, but also because it feels invasive looking at it.

 

 **D.O.B:** May 14

 **Blood Type:** O

 **Likes:** Working, Lilium Candidum

 **Dislikes:** Shrimp

 **Notes:** Ultimate Chorographer

 

Well, it makes sense that she doesn’t like shrimp, if she’s allergic to shellfish. I click out of her profile and select Yuuki’s.

 

 **Name:** Yuuki Watanabayashi

 **Height:** 5’5”

 **D.O.B:** December 5

 **Blood Type:** AB

 **Likes:** Euphonium

 

That feels like a given, with her.

 

 **Dislikes:** Electric guitar

 **Notes:** Ultimate Euphonium Player

 

I keep moving through the profiles. It seems like the girls are all listed on top, and the guys are on the bottom, so I keep at it systematically.

 

 **Name:** Emiko Yokahama

 **Height:** 4’7”

 **D.O.B:** December 24

 **Blood Type:** B

 **Likes:** Public Speaking

 **Dislikes:** Violent people, Action movies

 **Notes:** Ultimate Pacifist

 

 **Name:** Kaoru Ukon

 **Height:** 5’11”

 **D.O.B:** February 2

 **Blood Type:** A

 **Likes:** Running, The Flash

 **Dislikes:** Kabuki

 **Notes:** Ultimate Runner

 

 **Name:** Mari Nakahara

 **Height:** 5’9”

 **D.O.B:** Unknown

 

Oh, that’s strange. I wonder why Mari’s date of birth is unknown. I should ask her later, if she’s comfortable talking about it.

 

 **Blood Type:** O

 **Likes:** Salt water

 **Dislikes:** The Odyssey

 **Notes:** Ultimate Sailor

 

 **Name:** Kayoko Takashima

 **Height:** 5’6”

 **D.O.B:** January 1

 **Blood Type:** B

 **Likes:** Maya Angelou

 **Dislikes:** Cheap makeup

 **Notes:** Ultimate Poet

 

 **Name:** Tsumugi Shirogane

 **Height:** 5’9”

 **D.O.B:** August 15

 **Blood Type:** A

 **Likes:** EVA foam

 **Dislikes:** Disorderly queues

 **Notes:** Ultimate Cosplayer

 

The last of the girls is Sayuri. I click out of Tsumugi’s profile and go to look at Sayuri’s, wondering if it’ll have her talent listed. She said she forgot, but the Foundation probably has that information, right?

 

 **Name:** Sayuri Gui

 **Height:** 5’4”

 **D.O.B:** September 9

 **Blood Type:** AB

 **Likes:** Card games, Ramen

 **Dislikes:** Oil pastels

 **Notes:** Ultimate ???

 

...ah. That’s really strange, why wouldn’t the Ultimate Foundation have it written down? They should know, shouldn’t they? If they know as much about us as they do to be able to create these premises specifically to our needs, then… they should be aware of her talent, and it should be written here… unless… there’s a reason she doesn’t remember, and they’re behind it? It sounds crazy, but, if they’re not above taking us here without consent, I don’t see why they wouldn’t be alright with wiping Sayuri’s memories…

 

I move on to the boys profiles.

 

 **Name:** Yuuto Oyama

 **Height:** 5’7”

 **D.O.B:** October 19

 **Blood Type:** A

 **Likes:** Being in charge

 **Dislikes:** Imperfection

 **Notes:** Ultimate Director

 

 **Name:** Taku Kikuchi

 **Height:** 5’2”

 **D.O.B:** March 21

 **Blood Type:** O

 **Likes:** Libraries

 **Dislikes:** Dried mango

 **Notes:** Ultimate Grave Digger

 

 **Name:** Hare Aoyama

 **Height:** 5’8”

 **D.O.B:** July 10

 **Blood Type:** AB

 **Likes:** His brothers, Geography

 **Dislikes:** Haunted houses

 **Notes:** Ultimate Cartographer

 

 **Name:** Keiji Arakawa

 **Height:** 5’10”

 **D.O.B:** January 14

 **Blood Type:** B

 **Likes:** Carpentry

 **Dislikes:** School, Authority figures

 **Notes:** Ultimate Skateboarder

 

 **Name:** Umi Fuuji

 **Height:** 6’1”

 **D.O.B:** August 29

 **Blood Type:** A

 **Likes:** Flirting

 **Dislikes:** Snap judgements

 **Notes:** Ultimate DJ

 

 **Name:** Juro Sako

 **Height:** 5’10”

 **D.O.B:** November 23

 **Blood Type:** AB

 **Likes:** Impressions, Neck ties

 **Dislikes:** Pretentiousness

 **Notes:** Ultimate Spy

 

 **Name:** Asahi Sonada

 **Height:** 6’5”

 **D.O.B:** June 12

 **Blood Type:** B

 **Likes:** Small animals

 **Dislikes:** Liars

 **Notes:** Ultimate Older Brother

 

That’s everyone, I guess. None of the likes or dislikes take me off guard, except maybe that Taku doesn’t like dried mango, because who doesn’t like dried mango? Well, I guess it doesn’t make much of a difference. I’m about to look at the rules, but it occurs to me that I’ve probably been in here for a while, so I slide the Monopad into my pocket and get to my feet. I’ll look at it with Takako and Taku when we’re grouped together again. I don’t want to keep them waiting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, it's been over a month. I got busy, alright? ;w;
> 
> don't expect another update too soon, but I'll try to get out the next chapter before too much time has gone by, lolol
> 
> but more exciting stuff shall happen next time :3


	11. Chapter One [3]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rules are read, dinner is served, and dishes are washed.

When I exit my room, I see that only Taku has stepped out thus far. He’s sitting down on one of the steps across the space from me, messing around with his Monopad. From this distance it looks to be identical to mine, but when I move closer and glance over his shoulder, I note that the print on it is a bit larger. When he catches me looking he offers a small smile, brushing his bangs away from his eyes.

 

“I’m just looking at the rules,” he explains, then scoots over on the stair and pats the space next to him. “Have you glanced at them yet? They’re… really something.”

 

“No, I haven’t. I wanted to wait until I could discuss it with you and Takako.” I respond, and sit next to him, pulling out my own Monopad because the larger print doesn’t feel the best on my eyes. “Does anything stand out?” I swipe past the screen with my name and select the rules icon but focus on Taku as he contemplates a response.

 

“...you should really just look at them. They’re all pretty…” he hesitates. “Yeah, just read them.”

 

I figure there’s not much else I can do now other than simply reading the rules, so I look down at the Monopad in my lap and begin to look at them.

 

**_Rule 1:_ ** _ All participants of the Ultimate Retreat must remain on the resort premises at all times. Escape attempts, while they will not be punished, are a waste of any and every participant’s time. _

 

**_Rule 2:_ ** _ A number of facilities are being prepared in order to help every Ultimate develop their talent. Please use the provided resources to do so. _

 

**_Rule 3:_ ** _ There are a number of locations within the resort that are marked as off limits. As such, no participant may enter these locations until they are marked differently. Any infractions will be punishable by death. _

 

**_Rule 4:_ ** _ Violence against the trip planner, Monokuma, is strictly prohibited, and under the circumstances that a participant is violent against the trip planner, he is welcome to punish them in any way he sees fit. _

 

**_Rule 5:_ ** _ Unless by participating in the killing game, no participant is authorised to leave the Ultimate Resort. _

 

**_Rule 6:_ ** _ If a participant wishes to leave the Ultimate Resort, for whatever reason, they can only do so by killing another participant and getting away with it. _

 

**_Rule 7:_ ** _ If a participant commits a murder, they will become blackened. _

 

**_Rule 8:_ ** _ In the event that a participant should become blackened, after a brief period allowed for investigation, a class trial will commence. During the class trial, it is the responsibility of the rest of the participants to figure out who the blackened is. If they successfully determine the identity of the culprit and the majority of participants vote them as guilty, the blackened alone will be punished. However, if they fail to determine the identity of the actual culprit, the rest of the participants will be punished. _

 

**_Rule 9:_ ** _ Punishment, in this case, means death. _

 

**_Rule 10:_ ** _ In the event that the killing game is started, it will continue unless none of the remaining participants decide to commit a murder, or until only two participants remain. _

 

**_Rule 11:_ ** _ A body discovery announcement will play once three or more participants have discovered the body. _

 

**_Rule 12:_ ** _ All participants are required to participate in the class trial, unless they are dead. _

 

**_Rule 13:_ ** _ With some key exceptions named specifically within the rules, trip leader Monokuma is prohibited from interfering with the participants in a way that would inhibit their ability to grow as Ultimates in a peaceful, relaxing environment befitting of the Ultimate Retreat. _

 

**_Rule 14:_ ** _ As such the participants may explore the premises as they see fit, unless the locations in question are under construction. _

 

**_Rule 15:_ ** _ Vandalising the Ultimate Resort is strictly prohibited. _

 

**_Rule 16:_ ** _ As it is a retreat, there is no strictly enforced curfew for the participants. However, it is strongly recommended that all Ultimates be in their rooms from ten o’clock in the evening to eight o’clock in the morning, as the gymnasium and dining hall will be closed during those hours. In order to keep all participants aware of such, announcements will play on your Monopads at ten in the evening and eight in the morning. Going into the gymnasium or dining hall during those hours is strictly prohibited. _

 

**_Rule 17:_ ** _ The trip planner may add additional rules at any time. _

 

**_Rule 18:_ ** _ Any of these rules are subject to change by the will of our sponsors! Use code Kuma for fifty percent off on Kuramoto Cosmetics! _

 

The rules end there. Despite the fact that there’s a lot to take in, I can’t help it that my first response is, “Again with the fifty percent off on Kuramoto Cosmetics? Fifty percent is pretty good for them but it’s not like any of us can buy it here…”

 

“Ah, I thought that too, but it’s possible they… just put it there to mess with us.” Taku frowns down at the screen. “I’m the most worried about… rule four.”

 

“Are you planning violence against the trip master?” I mean it as a joke, obviously, but Taku’s eyes widen dramatically when he looks over at me. Still, I muster a goofy smile and shoot it his way, despite the way that my stomach is still churning from all the rules I just read. “Geez, Taku, I didn’t take you to be the type…”

 

“No! No, that’s not it, I just…” he sighs. “Punishment in  _ any way he sees fit. _ ” Taku quotes, then bites his lip. “Not that we’re particularly equipped to fight Monokuma or anything, what with the Ultimate Pacifist and the Ultimate Poet on our side.” He pauses. “Uhm, but, no offense to Takako or Emiko, I’m sure they can hold their own, I’m just… still, I think Juro or… maybe Asahi could handle themselves. Mari seemed strong too, and she has a pocket knife. It’s… kind of difficult that it’s against the rules.”

 

“I wonder if there’s a reason for that.” I’m mostly thinking out loud, but Taku gives me a questioning look when I say it, so I find myself continuing. “I mean, okay. Monokuma is a teddy bear, right? Seeing it, my brain tells me dispatching it would be laughably easy, and I’m not even particularly strong. But look at the way the rule put it. It’s worded as though whoever wrote these rules is assuming Monokuma would be able to survive any attacks we might throw its way. Which means there’s probably something we don’t know.” I sigh. “I don’t think brute strength is the way to go about this.”

 

Taku nods along to what I’m saying, turns his Monopad on and off a few times absentmindedly, as though he’s fidgeting. “What do you think is a good idea, then?” He asks. “Should we just search as carefully as we can until we find an exit?”   
  


The question makes me pause. I’m not sure, to be honest. There’s really nothing here that’s given me any indication as to what to do going forward. The only thing I’ve really been thinking about has been the poisons in the infirmary, and that’s in the interest of stopping a murder, not getting us out of here. We obviously need to escape. Eventually I’m going to have to be more proactive about it. But for the moment I suppose I’ll just need to put my faith in whatever Yuuto plans to do as a self-appointed leader, because I really have no idea what to do. At least not at the moment. “I don’t know,” I admit. “I think it seems best to lay low and see what Yuuto needs from us to try to get us out of here. That’s what I plan to do.”

 

“...alright, then.” Taku smiles slightly, putting his Monopad back into his pocket. “I’ll do that, too… I’ll trust you, Rantaro.”

 

“Huh?” I glance over again, watching the grave digger get to his feet and stretch his arms above his head. “Why? What reason would you have to trust me? We’ve known each other for a few hours.”   
  


“Yeah… we have.” Taku hums. “But I think you’re trustworthy anyway. I don’t have any siblings or anything so it’s… not like I can say for sure, but… if I had a really good older brother, I think… he’d be something like you.” He shrugs. “Besides, I think it’s important that we trust each other if we’re going to get out of here, right?” My assessment was somewhat different from that, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t understand what he means. “So, I’ll trust you. And everyone here. Right up until you give me a reason not to.”

 

Maybe it’s just because he’s lived a fairly sheltered life, having been homeschooled and raised in a cemetery, but… he’s being remarkably genuine when he says it. I can’t trust anybody- I mean, I  _ know  _ that. But at the moment it doesn’t seem unreasonable to believe what he’s saying. At least until he gives me some reason not to. “I’ll trust you too, then,” I tell him, and it’s not entirely the truth, which makes me feel bad when he smiles at me, but a moment later Takako reemerges from her room with her Monopad in hand and suddenly she and Taku are talking about the rules, and I force my mind to settle on something else.

 

Sayuri may have just been speculating earlier, but the more I think about those rules, the more merit I see to her conjecture that a killing game of this sort has happened before in the past. It seems far too structured to just be something that a makeup company came up with on the fly. And I don’t think the CEO of Kuramoto Cosmetics has the brain capacity to think up something this complex. Plus, there’s Monokuma to factor into the equation, and it’s… really been acting like this isn’t its first killing game.

 

“Hey, Taro, let’s head to the dining hall.” Takako interrupts my train of thought, which is alright, since I don’t really know where I’m going with this. I glance at her, meet her brown eyes, and see that she’s smiling gently. “No use thinking too much about the rules and stuff now, right? Let’s wait until all sixteen of us are together to talk about it.”

 

I roll my shoulders, hoping my smile doesn’t look as forced as it feels. “That sounds good by me. I wonder what Emiko decided to prepare.”

 

There’s a moment of silence, and then, “Food, ideally,” Taku murmurs.

 

“Awh,” Takako sighs as the three of us exit the dorms, heading down the hallway in what I believe is the direction of the dining hall. “I was really hoping for a nice meal of rocks.”

 

“She was pretty careful about getting allergies and stuff, so…” Taku pauses. “If anyone here is allergic to rocks, your dreams are probably going to be crushed.”

 

“No, don’t crush my dreams, you’ll make me sad.”

 

“I mean, I’m not… allergic to rocks. So you might have a chance of getting your ideal meal yet.” They’re going pretty far for a joke. I let my expression relax into a smile (a guarded smile but I doubt Takako or Taku can see that; they haven’t known me for long enough to be able to decipher my mannerisms) and space off on the trip back to the dining hall. They continue chatting, but it’s idle chatter, and I can tell that they’re both a little more uptight than they’re letting on. That’s just my guess, though. That might be completely normal for them.

 

And who could blame them for being uptight in a situation like this?

 

We’re the first inside of the dining hall, aside from Kayoko and Yuuki, and the two girls greet us brightly, though Yuuki still gives us all the stink eye.  _ She’s probably holding a grudge about the euphonium thing, _ I think, and the thought makes me a little bit nervous, but I make an effort to smile at her anyway, because I think Yuuki is a kind person, even if she seems like the type to judge based on first impressions. She’ll probably come around if I just treat her kindly.

 

Umi and Hare arrive together (though notably without Tsumugi), chatting, but they split off when they reach the table. Umi slides into place across from me, and Hare approaches Taku, who’s standing by the kitchen door, and seems to engage him in conversation. The grave digger looks startled but pleasantly so; he smiles at Hare when he walks over and talks back. I wasn’t able to get much of an impression of Hare back in the gym, but right now it seems like the cartographer is making an effort to engage Taku too, even though he’s off to the side. He did the same thing with Tsumugi, telling her that he wanted her to help him make a map of the school. A job which probably only requires him.

 

It’s way too early for me to make any blanket statements about these guys but it seems like Hare is a good guy.

 

Asahi and Yuuto walk in together, and Yuuto sits across from Takako, who is next to me, but before Asahi can sit on the director’s other side, Umi waves him over, so he shrugs and takes a seat next to the DJ. I can’t help thinking that maybe that’s not such a good idea but I don’t say anything about it because I should probably be fair to Umi despite the conversation we had. It’s possible he’s just a bit flirtatious, and maybe  _ slightly  _ presumptuous. That might’ve even just been a terribly delivered joke. I can’t jump to conclusions about any of these guys.

 

Next is Tsumugi, who wanders in by herself and sits next to me. I look over at her, thinking maybe I could make conversation, but she turns her head away and rests it on her arms. She doesn’t seem like she wants to talk right now. I’ll check on her later. Part of me wonders if the mapping with Umi and Hare didn’t go well for her. Juro and Sayuri enter together, and they’re smiling too- Juro in a friendly, open way, and Sayuri in a quieter, more nervous way- and as I watch them talking together, I notice that it’s a very natural interaction. Juro seems very charismatic.

 

I’m not all that surprised when Mari, Kaoru, and Keiji come in last. Mari is talking excitedly about something that I can’t really understand through all the profanity and weird voices she’s using, but based on how Kaoru and Keiji are laughing, I’m going to assume it’s something funny. She really does swear a lot, it’s a bit… distasteful, isn’t it?

 

Just as they seat themselves, Yuuto stands in his seat and glances around. “Is that everyone?” He asks, adjusting his glasses.

  
“Are those prescription?” Keiji replies rather than answering his question. Yuuto gives him a skeptical look.

 

“Of course they are, why wouldn’t they be?”

 

“I thought they were just to show off your swirling blue orbs.”   
  


“Oh my god,” Kaoru chokes. “Shut the  _ fuck  _ up.”

 

“Guys, I just want you all to know that Kaoru reads self insert fanfiction.” Mari closes her eyes. “I know, I was disappointed too.”

 

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Tsumugi says quietly from next to me, but it doesn’t seem like anyone else hears her.

 

Yuuto rolls his eyes. “I’m nearsighted, so yeah, my glasses are real. Not to show off my eyes. If they weren’t prescription they wouldn’t be very good at showing off my eyes anyway.” He sighs, like he’s used to that kind of heckling (and honestly… how?) before shaking his head. “So, to get back to my original question, is everyone here?” It seems like a bit of a rhetorical question, though, because he starts counting everyone immediately after asking. “Including myself, and Emiko in the kitchen, that’s fifteen. I’m going to be a bit shaky on names for a while now, so if I end up calling you by your talent or something, I hope you don’t feel offended.”

 

“As long as you don’t call me a geographer, we’re good.” Hare grins, and Yuuto smiles at him this time rather than looking exasperated, which I think says a lot about his delivery in comparison to Keiji’s. For some reason, the skateboarder seems a bit downtrodden, but he hides the expression in an instant so it’s like it didn’t happen. I know better than to dismiss it as nothing, though.

 

“I’ll keep that in mind, Hare.” The director assures, and Hare gives a thumbs up in return. He definitely seems like a nice guy. Taku is smiling at him too, his expression awfully soft. Whatever they spoke about at the door to the kitchen, it was probably something nice.

 

Speaking of which, the door to the kitchen swings open and Emiko sticks her head out, smiling. There’s a bit of spice on her face, something red, which makes me concerned for the spice level of the food, and her chestnut hair is pulled out of her face in a tiny ponytail. She’s smiling, but she does look a bit tired. “The food is ready,” she starts. “But I need help taking it out to everyone.” Asahi rises to his feet, as does Kayoko, and Mari joins them, despite a pout shot her way from Keiji. I start standing up myself, but Takako puts a hand on my wrist and mouths that four is probably enough, and she’s definitely right so I sit back down again.

 

“What did you make?” Juro leans back in his seat to look at Emiko.

 

“I made stir fry.” Emiko replies, holding the door open for the three people who stepped up to help her. “Uhm, I know that Kaoru is allergic to gluten, so I used rice noodles. And Kayoko didn’t say anything about any soy allergies but there’s soy sauce in the peanut sauce so I put it out separate- just- I want to be careful, y’know?” She seems nervous. “I really don’t want anyone to get hurt, and-”

 

“You did fine, Emiko.” Yuuto’s tone is firm but soothing. He’s not smiling but he seems to mean what he’s saying. “It smells excellent, and people will take care of their own needs if you give them the tools to do so.”

 

“Spoken like a true director!” Takako beams. “Is that something you keep in mind when you’re leading people, Yuuto?”

 

“Of course it is.” He seems a bit exasperated, like what he’s saying should be obvious, but he doesn’t look like he’s annoyed at Takako. “I work with many capable people on a day-to-day basis. If I micro-manage them nothing is ever going to get done.” Yuuto pauses giving Takako another, longer look. “Are you interested in learning about directing? Your name is Takako, right?”

 

“Well, I’m not disinterested,” Takako says, and I have to disguise my snort with a cough.

 

The food is brought in, and everyone who stood up takes their seat, and Emiko places several water pitchers (as well as a pitcher of Kool-Aid because, as she says,  _ we might as well indulge a little bit!)  _ in the middle of the table and sits down between Asahi and Juro, and with that everyone digs in.

 

The dining hall fills with chatter, and while everyone is eating I take the moment to look at the group as a whole. It’s easier to see everyone like this, sitting around the table. There are six people on either long side of the table, as well as a head and a foot. I’m sitting on the side closer to the door. On my left is Tsumugi, the Ultimate Cosplayer, who is silently eating her food. She’s facing me a bit better now and I can see that her eyes are very slightly reddened. I hope she’s okay. On the other side of her sits Sayuri, who doesn’t remember her talent, and Juro, the Ultimate Spy, is sitting at the foot of the table.

 

To my right sits Takako, the Ultimate Choreographer, and next to her is Kaoru, the Ultimate Runner, who is also sitting next to Mari, the Ultimate Sailor, and then Keiji, the Ultimate Skateboarder, is sitting at the head of the table. Next to him sits Taku, the Ultimate Grave Digger, then Hare, the Ultimate Cartographer, and Yuuto, the Ultimate Director, is next to him and across from Takako. Umi, the Ultimate DJ, is across from me, and Asahi, the Ultimate Older Brother, is on his right, and finally Emiko, the Ultimate Pacifist, is next to Asahi.

 

Sixteen of us. It’s an odd combination of talents. Nothing the Ultimate Foundation has done has ever really made sense to me. But this really takes the cake. Forget odd- this is  _ wrong.  _ Even if it’s just a test, on their part, or a prank, or something like that… what if someone accidentally ends up going along with it? What if someone ends up dead? The thought of it makes my stomach clench. I really can’t let that happen. I’ll go to the infirmary tonight, after ten o’clock, and write down a list of all twenty four of the poisons that are in there. Then I’ll be able to keep an eye on them.

 

_ Unless Taku already took one when he woke up,  _ I think, and then shake off the thought, because I doubt that would happen. Taku doesn’t seem like the type. That doesn’t rule out the possibility that he might be lying about every part of who he is, but… no, I doubt it. He just doesn’t strike me as that kind of a liar.

 

At the same time, I can’t be making snap judgements about these people. I need to remain suspicious. I can’t let the killing game start, I have to try to get everyone out of here, but most importantly… I need to survive, and I need to escape. I have to get back to my sisters, and I can’t do that if someone here ends up committing a murder. That’s my chief priority right now. Nothing else matters.

 

After dinner, Yuuto tells everyone to head back to their rooms for an early night. He promises that we’ll talk about the rules and everything else in the morning, but it’s been a long day with a lot of shocking revelations, and he thinks it would be a good idea if we all got some sleep.

 

I think he’s right, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to be doing much sleeping tonight.

 

Takako ends up heading out before me, saying that she’s tired and she’d like to get to bed, and I bid her adieu before watching her walk out of the dining hall. I’d follow her out, but to be honest… I’m waiting for Tsumugi to finish eating so I can ask her if she’s alright in a place where it won’t be embarrassing for her. I doubt that anyone here would be judgemental, considering that we’re all in a pretty difficult situation right now, but still, it’s not easy to admit you’re upset in a room full of strangers.

 

“Yuuto, should we assign dish duty for tonight? How are you going to handle that?” Kayoko asks, looking over at the director.

 

“Well, take care of your own dishes, but everyone should try and pitch in to help with the group dishes unless they cooked. Which means everybody except for Emiko.” Yuuto crosses his arms. “Does that seem like a fair system?”

 

“Totally! Well, I like it, at least!” Emiko beams, and I find myself chuckling.

 

“It’s alright,” Tsumugi speaks up. “I can do all the dishes tonight. I think I need some busywork to get my mind off of things.”

 

“Oh, are you sure?” Kayoko looks over at her. “I don’t want you to feel relegated to the kitchen, Tsumugi. I’m sure there are plenty of people here who will help you.”

 

“It’s fine.” The cosplayer smiles. “I could use the distraction.”

 

That translates into, she wants some time alone. But when everyone else files out of the dining hall, and the dishes are all back in the kitchen, that doesn’t stop me from poking my head in to look for her. She’s standing at the sink, her sleeves rolled up to her elbows, scrubbing at a pot with what appears to be a piece of steel wool. I watch her for a moment and clear my throat.

 

“Want any help?” I ask. She glances over at me, her eyebrows raised, and seems to consider the question for a moment.

 

“Not really. But I guess I could use the company.” She smiles vaguely, and so I walk over to join her at the sink. I know she said she doesn’t need any help but I roll up my sleeves anyway and grab one of the towels from where it’s hanging on the dishwasher to start drying the dishes she’s been stacking up.

 

“Why aren’t you just loading the dishwasher?” I ask.

 

“I was going to, but I started off cleaning a plate that had a lot of noodles stuck to it with peanut sauce, and I figured if I was going to clean it that much anyway, I might as well just wash them all by hand.” Tsumugi shrugs. “So, did you want to talk about something? Or are you just a fan of washing dishes?”

 

“Haha, not at all.” I reply honestly, and move to put the dishes that I’ve just dried back into the cupboard they appear to come from. It’s not difficult, seeing as they’re all still open. Emiko must’ve left it that way on purpose. “I actually wanted to see if you’re okay, Tsumugi.”

 

“Hm?” She looks at me, incredulous. “What do you… oh, you mean,” she pauses, then adjusts her glasses, a sheepish smile on her face. “You mean the red eyes, huh?”

 

“Yeah.” I nod. “It wasn’t that noticeable, don’t worry. I’m just a bit more observant than I look.” Tsumugi’s upper lip curls into a coy smile, and I return it, and she shakes her head at me as she looks back at the pot she’s scrubbing.

 

“I wouldn’t worry about it, really.” Tsumugi speaks after a moment. “It’s plainly a bit too much for someone like me to handle.” She sighs. “And I know it’s kind of silly but I already really want to go home. I’d love to be friends with you all otherwise but all of this is… a lot.” She presses her lips together. “I was only crying earlier because I was overwhelmed. Hare and Umi were joking around and I thought it was an inappropriate response to the situation. I should apologise later.”

 

“Everyone copes in their own ways but it’s not your fault for being upset about it.” I say, figuring that I should say something. Tsumugi seems to feel guilty about it. She glances down at the pot, furrowing her brow, and then relaxes her expression with a shake of her head.

 

“I knew that, too, even when I was snapping at them, but…” she sighs. “It doesn’t matter, really. I doubt they even noticed.”

 

I wonder if that’s really the truth. Umi at least glanced at Tsumugi a number of times throughout the meal, a frown on his face. I’m sure they noticed. “You should definitely talk to them.” I decide to say, and with that, both of us go silent, and the room fills instead with the sound of dishes being washed.

 

To be honest, I can see why she wanted to do this. This kind of busywork really does keep your mind occupied. I can still stay on my train of thought, but I’m just distracted enough that I’m not dwelling on anything. It’s sort of nice. And after she finishes up with the pot, Tsumugi is a fast worker. It’s almost atmospheric, really.

 

When we’re done, Tsumugi washes her hands and I hand her a dishrag to dry them off, and she thanks me with a slight edge in her voice which makes me think she might be thanking me for more than the rag.

 

Then, without meeting my eyes, the cosplayer slips out of the kitchen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope nobody is expecting frequent updates for this lmao ajsdbfjd I might focus on it more once I wrap up The Best Lies but that'll be a looong time from now so qwq
> 
> but I haven't given up on this fic!!!! there's more coming :D


	12. Chapter One [4]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rantaro heads to breakfast.

All twenty four bottles of poison are still in the infirmary when I arrive to take stock of everything. It doesn’t take very long for me to make a list (which I use the notes function on my Monopad for, because, y’know, might as well) of them all, and by the time I get back to my room, my brain is swimming with all of the names, the bright light of the infirmary still burning my eyelids.

 

Nightshade, hemlock, strychnine… I looked all over the infirmary before leaving, but there wasn’t a single antidote in sight. I wish I knew more about poison control. I’ve come across a few poison victims on my travels, but, most of them were too far gone for me to save-- either that, or all I had to do was call an ambulance and let professionals take over. Here, there aren’t any ambulances coming. No police, no authority figures of any kind. Not with that dome over our heads, the one that wasn’t even dented when Sayuri threw that rock earlier today. I can dream and make up stories about a powerful group of adults coming to save us, but…

 

I’d just be kidding myself. Nobody is coming.

 

It takes me a long time to fall asleep. Despite how nice everyone is, and how easy it is to talk to them, I can’t shake the feeling that I’m going to be trapped here for far too long. Right now, anything could be happening to my sisters, and I’m not there to save them. I’m here instead, wherever here is, and wasting time thinking about poisons and robotic stuffed animal bears. I fall asleep with the lights still on, the throbbing headache that settled in on the fourth bottle still splitting my head in half, and the blankets bunched up underneath me, far too exhausted to even put together a thought about fixing them.

 

It’s just as well, though.

 

\---

 

_ Monokuma Theatre #1 _

 

_ You know that one bossy kid in your glass? The one who insists they know better than everyone else? The one who is such a stuck-up know-it-all that you wish you could slam their face into a desk without any repercussions? _

 

_ I have the CEO of Kuramoto Cosmetics on the line here and he says that it’s a pretty universal experience for everyone. If our sponsors said it, it must be true! _ _  
  
_

_ I knew a kid like that once, back when I was just a wee little cub. I was adorable back then, upupu! I kept getting in trouble with the teachers for giving them my biggest, cutest smile whenever I got in trouble for bullying the other kids! _

 

_ The kid always acted like the plan in their head was better than everyone else’s opinions. What a control freak! I wanted to take my claws to ‘em, but I didn’t think I could do it without everyone else noticing. They had some nerve, though, acting like the boss like that! Who gave them the right, y’know? _

 

_ Anyways, my best friend ended up doing it for me. They were definitely my best friend a lot longer than they would’ve been after that, but it sucked seeing them get punished for what was such an obviously universal desire. _

 

_ I mean, anyone wants to see a bossy loser get taken down a peg, right? Upupupupu! _

 

\---

 

I wake up to the sound of vibrating against the carpet of my room. I groan inadvertently, and then turn my head to the side, trying to figure out what’s making that racket. Lying on the floor is my Monopad, it looks like, and I can tell that the screen is on by the way the light is reflecting off the carpet. Reluctantly, and blinking sleep out of my eyes, I pick it up, glaring at the screen. It really is way too bright.

 

_ “Attention, all Ultimate participants! Your wonderful trip planner, Monokuma, is speaking! The time is now 8AM! The dining hall and gym, as well as a couple of your labs, are open now, so go crazy, kiddos! Let’s have a wonderful first full day of the retreat!” _

 

I guess I should get up, then.

 

As sweaty and gross as I feel from sleeping in my clothes, I don’t think I can justify a shower right now. (And I’m wary of taking a shower here, to be honest, with Monokuma popping up at random intervals.) Instead, I strip off my top layer and walk over to the closet, selecting one of the identical blue shirts from the inside and pulling it back on. It’s so strange that they have so many copies of my outfit. I’m not sure what to think. Shaking my head, I pick my Monopad back up from the bed and slide it into my pocket.

 

I don’t take long in the bathroom. Since I’m not showering, all I have to do is wash my face and brush my teeth. I’ll probably be alright for another day without shaving, I think; I must’ve shaved the day before being taken here, because I was stubble-free all day yesterday. It’s frustrating that I get a headache every time I try to think about where I was before.

 

After double checking that I have my keys, I exit the room and let the door fall shut behind me. I lock it, too; not that there’s anything in there that I want to hide, but I think it’s important that I lock it. Just to be safe. I don’t know that a killing game is going to happen, but I also don’t know that it isn’t, and I want to be safe.

 

The fact that the dorms are an atrium makes the air in here crisp. I like it a lot more than I’m willing to admit. It’s nice looking up at the blue sky rather than the ceiling in the rest of the building… although, the dome makes everything feel a lot more claustrophobic. (Not enough to give me a panic attack, or anything, but I have to consciously prevent myself from grimacing as the thought enters my head.) I notice that, aside from me, Asahi and Sayuri are awake, standing near their doors as though they just exited their rooms.

 

I approach Asahi first. “Good morning,” I greet him with a small smile. He returns the expression, waving, and I stop in front of him, resting my hands at my sides. I have to crane my neck back a little bit to look him in the eyes. “How did you sleep last night, Asahi?”

 

“Honestly?” Asahi sighs. “Not very well.” As much as it’s a rude thing to think, I can kind of tell. He looks exhausted, with bags under his eyes, and his hair is a bit messier than it was yesterday. “I couldn’t stop thinking about, uh, our situation.” He looks away from me for a moment. “I’m putting my faith in Yuuto, like everyone else, but I think it’s pretty natural to feel suspicious in a situation like this, isn’t it?”

 

“Of course,” I reply, in what I hope is a soothing way. Asahi looks genuinely troubled. “I’m worried myself,” I admit, and then add, more loudly, “But I’m sure that nothing bad is going to happen. Yuuto seems like a force of nature, doesn’t he? I’d trust him.” It’s a bold-faced lie and for a minute I wonder if Asahi can tell, but then he just smiles at me, some of the wrinkles between his eyebrows evaporating.

 

“You’re right, Rantaro. I shouldn’t worry so much. How about you? You look exhausted.”

 

“Aha, do I?” I pull up a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of my neck. “I fell asleep in a bit of an uncomfortable position last night, so maybe I was tossing and turning a lot. To tell you the truth, I can’t really remember.”

 

“The lounge downstairs and also the warehouse have extra pillows and blankets. If that was a problem, maybe you should look into it.” Asahi suggests.

 

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I tell him, and we exchange a parting smile before I walk over to Sayuri. She’s facing her door, one of her gloved hands resting on the doorknob, and glaring at it as though it did something to offend her personally. For a moment I’m worried about startling her, but then I decide that watching her like this is probably creepier, so gently I say, “Good morning, Sayuri.”

 

She thankfully doesn’t jump when she hears my voice. Instead she turns her head, a thin smile on her face. “Morning, Rantaro,” she greets. “Excited for another day?”

 

I chuckle. “Is that even really a question?”

 

“Fair point.” Sayuri turns around to face me entirely, running a hand through her pale purple hair. Her gaze flits off for a moment, the corners of her lips turning down at the edges. I wonder what she’s thinking about.

 

“You look troubled.” I remark, and at this Sayuri does start a bit, though she doesn’t seem too shocked by my observation. She gives me a sheepish smile when she settles down, messing with one of her gloves. “Did you have any luck remembering your talent during the night?”

 

“No.” She sighs, looking down. “I didn’t. I was hoping I would, and when I woke up it kind of seemed like I did, but…” she makes a grabbing motion with her hand, as though trying to get something just beyond her reach, and shakes her head, appearing to try to disguise the disappointment on her face. “It sucks, that’s all. But let’s not talk about that, I’ll find some way to distract myself. We should all go to the dining hall, right?”

 

“I think so.” I reply, nodding. “It seems like the most reasonable place to head right now.”

 

“Well, then we’d better not waste any time.” Sayuri seems to steel her shoulders, giving me a very forced smile. “I’ll go on ahead. See you soon.”

 

I bid her adieu and watch her exit the dorms. I hope she’s okay. She looks like she’s worn thin already, and we’ve only been here a day. I can’t blame her, though; some retreat this is supposed to be.

 

Stepping out of the dorms, I notice Mari and Keiji standing together next to one of the doors that was unlocked before. Curious, I walk over to them and peer over their shoulders, wanting to see what they’re looking at.

 

“Hey, Rantaro,” Mari seems to notice me right away and offers me a grin. “This door is unlocked now.” She gestures at the door in front of her. “We’re talking about what the symbol on it might mean. Waddya think?” I look up at the symbol that she’s referring to. It looks like one of those things that directors close to make a loud clicking sound and start a scene, the kind I’ve only ever seen in blooper reels, or films about moviemaking.

 

“I told you,” Keiji sounds exasperated. “It’s a clapperboard. This is obviously Yuuto’s lab.”

 

“Oi, in case you haven’t noticed,” Mari makes a face at him. “I don’t know what a clapperboard is! I’m not some fuckin’ landlubber, okay? I don’t know all these fancy shmancy--”

 

“Clapperboards are used on the sets of movies,” I interrupt. “It’s a director stereotype, to use it to call attention I’ve never been on a movie set before, though, so I couldn’t tell you if they actually--”

 

“We do.” Behind me, Yuuto’s voice cuts in, and I jump a little bit, turning around to face him. He, at the very least, seems well rested. He looks stern, but not grumpy. More just in a commanding way. “Use them, I mean. It helps shift everyone back into a productive mindset.” Yuuto shrugs. “Though, I think we should wait until after breakfast to explore the labs. Do it all together as a book group. Does that make sense?”

 

“Yeah, of course.” I tell him, but I notice that Keiji doesn’t look entirely pleased.

 

Still, he nods. “Sure, we’re right behind you, boss,” he drawls, and Yuuto gives him a brief distasteful look before turning around and disappearing around the corner. After his footsteps recede, Keiji flips back around to the door and says, “Well, I’m going in.”

 

“But, didn’t Yuuto just say--”

 

“Oh, c’mon, Rantaro, live a little.” Mari grins. “Rebel against authority. Stick it to the man!” She turns the doorknob to the lab.

 

I hardly think rebelling against Yuuto, who is trying to keep all of us alive, counts as sticking it to the man. I’m tempted to lecture them, but based on the look on Keiji’s face, I’m pretty sure he’s daring me to do so. Anything I say would fly right over their heads. So I sigh, instead, and shrug. “I guess I can’t stop you, but you should really consider listening to Yuuto.” I tell them, and Mari beams at me, poking out her tongue, but the look that Keiji shoots my way could kill a person, I think.

 

Admittedly, I walk out of that hallway a bit more quickly than I would usually. When I turn the corner, I notice that Yuuki and Kayoko are walking together, but slowly. It seems like Yuuki is listening to Kayoko talk about something. I don’t want to interrupt them, so I don’t say anything, but I wave as I pass, and Kayoko shoots me a smile. Yuuki, predictably, glares at me, before turning back to Kayoko.

 

Ah, well. Just keep trying, I guess. A little bit further down the hall I see that Juro is standing in front of another one of the doors. Before he can ask, I look at the logo on the door. It appears to be some kind of backpacking pack, which means there’s only one person who it could belong to.

 

“Five bucks say it’s yours,” Juro grins at me. I glance at him. He seems downright jovial considering our situation. When he meets my gaze, his eyebrows raise a little bit, but then he looks back at the door. “I’m so damn tempted to step in and see what kind of room would be dedicated to an Ultimate Adventurer, but Yuuto said I should wait until everyone else can look at them together, and I honestly think that he’s absolutely right.”

 

“Yeah,” I chuckle slightly, neglecting to mention that, in a different part of the building, Mari and Keiji are already checking out Yuuto’s lab. I doubt Juro would know what to do with that information, if anything. “You’re in a good mood, did you sleep well?”

 

“Terribly!” Juro responds. “I was up all night playing some weird game on the Monopad. But I found coffee in the warehouse, so I’m pretty much dead on my feet right now.”

 

The admission stresses me out. Being that exhausted… makes Juro an easy target. “Hey, maybe you should say stuff like that a little quieter,” I suggest, trying not to sound nervous. Juro gives me a vague, searching look, and then laughs.

 

“You’re not going to kill me, Rantaro Amami. Why are you worried about what I’m telling you?” With that said, Juro turns and walks away. I can still hear him chuckling as he disappears around the corner. I’m a bit too perturbed to move right away, and before I do, I’m tapped twice on the shoulder, and I whirl around, startled.

 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” It’s Tsumugi standing there. I calm down at the sight of her, my heart rate returning to a normal speed, and smile apologetically. “Are you alright? You seemed tense just now.”

 

“Nah, I’m all good. Just thinking, y’know?” I rub the back of my neck, and Tsumugi’s teal eyes look disbelieving for a fraction of a second, but then the look disappears, and she nods, smiling simply. I take a breath and change the subject. “How was your sleep, Tsumugi?”

 

“Oh, it was nice.” Tsumugi’s tone is vague. “I think I got in eight hours, which is impressive, isn’t it? I managed to fall asleep without crying like a baby again, so…” she gives a double thumbs up.

 

I chuckle at the awkward smile on her face. I can appreciate that she’s trying to be lighthearted, but I bet Tsumugi is taking this a lot harder than most of us here, for her to still seem so tense after yesterday. I’m sure it’s just from all that time spent taking care of and subsequently looking for my sisters, but I feel inclined to look after her. If I verbalised the thoughts it would definitely weird her out, so I push my hair out of my eyes and speak again. “What’s on your mind? You look preoccupied.”

 

“I was wondering something, actually, if I could--” she breaks off all of a sudden, and I’m not entirely sure why at first.

 

“Taro, there you are!” Takako beams as she appears around the corner behind me. She was probably visible to Tsumugi as she approached-- or maybe the cosplayer heard her footsteps, and I was distracted thinking about what she was going to ask. “I thought you’d be the type to arrive at the dining hall first, but it’s just Emiko and Yuuto in there right now, y’know? Good morning, Tsumugi!” She adds, giving the other girl another, equally bright smile, and Tsumugi returns it.

 

“Hi, Takako,” I greet, but look quickly back at Tsumugi, who seems to be thinking. “What were you saying, Tsumugi?”

 

“Hm?” She raises an eyebrow. “Oh, nothing, don’t worry about it. I’ll go on ahead. See you two in the dining hall.” Before I can stop her, Tsumugi walks away, her arms swinging casually at her sides. I watch her back as she leaves.

 

“Is she okay?” Takako asks with a frown. “She seems tense, doesn’t she?”   
  


I thought so too. Maybe I should talk to her again later. “Don’t worry about it,” I tell Takako regardless. She looks at me, her eyebrows raised. “Everyone is pretty stressed out right now, y’know?”   
  


“Yeah, no kidding.” Takako sighs. “In a situation like this…” she shakes her head quickly, a smile returning to her features. “I shouldn’t be thinking stuff like that though, my bed was extremely comfortable and I fell asleep right away!” Based on the way that Takako says this, I somehow doubt that there’s much truth in that statement. “Walk me to breakfast?”

 

“Weren’t you already there?” I ask her, raising an eyebrow.   
  
“Oh, sure,” she shrugs, nonchalant, and loops one of her arms through mine. “But I’d love the company. It’s a long journey back, you know. Besides,” she adds, with a bit of excitement. “I think my lab just opened up.”

 

“Mine did too, come to think of it. That’s what Juro suspects, anyway.” I say, and Takako nods with a quiet hum.

 

“I think I saw Taku looking at a room with some kind of brass instrument carved into the door, so I bet that’s Yuuki’s.” Takako says, and begins pulling me along towards the dining hall. I walk with her, trying to reason it out in my head. Yuuki, Takako, Yuuto, and me, huh? I wonder if any other doors are unlocked. Monokuma said that only  _ some  _ of the labs are open now. “What even is a lab, anyway? What do you do in it?”

 

“Practice your talent, I’d imagine.” I muse. “Though I’m really not sure what they could’ve done for mine. I mean, how much can I possibly explore just within this building? And in only one room? The most that they could have in there is some kind of equipment. Maybe camping gear…” though most of the places my sisters are lost in are cities, so I don’t see why there’d be  _ too  _ much of that.

 

“I’m really interested to see mine, too. I mean, you’d think being a choreographer, it’d resemble a dance studio somewhat, right? But while I  _ do  _ have to dance all of the moves that I put together, a lot of my work is like, sitting down and thinking things through.” Takako shakes her head quickly. “I’m sure it’s great, but, I’d really like to go home, y’know? So I hope Yuuto finds some way to get us all out of here soon.”

 

“Me too.” I say honestly. “Did you want to check out the labs together after breakfast?” I ask, glancing at her. Takako raises her eyebrows at me, and then nods eagerly, a smile on her face.

 

“Yeah! For sure. I like the other people here, but to be honest, Taro, you’re the person who I trust the most out of everyone.” She hesitates. “Is that unfair? Am I judging everyone too early since you’re the only one I’ve spent any significant amount of time with thus far?”

 

I can agree with Takako on one thing, I guess, and it’s that I’m the person who I trust the most, out of everyone. I can’t possibly tell her that though, so I smile instead, and say, “Trust comes with time. Don’t try to rush anything. I’m sure you’ll come around on more people as time progresses.” But don’t get too comfortable.

 

Takako smiles at me. “You’re right, I probably will.” She releases my arm and steps up to the door to the dining hall, pulling it open and holding it that way. “After you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the first monokuma theatre :3
> 
> the labs reveal things obviously but you'll understand what they mean soon enough
> 
> is anyone actually reading this??? it updates way too slowly to have any meaningful knowledge of all the ocs lol
> 
> aksdhfjk anyway idk when i'll next shit out a chapter bye


End file.
